Rebuilding Her Heart
by Queen-of-the-Merry-Men
Summary: After discovering Rumple's plans during the curse of shattered sight Belle can no longer look past his faults. She spent so much time being Rumpelstiltskin's love who is she now? I suck at summaries it's deeper than it's sounds. Belle/Regina friendship. Some OutlawQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**I was planning on writing an outlawqueen Christmas story but I couldn't stop thinking about Rumbelle and how much their relationship has me cringing this season. If it's going to end this is how I want it to go down.**

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><p>Rumple sat behind the counter of his pawn shop thinking about how he got there. Emma and Elsa had defeated the Snow Queen and her curse of shattered sight. The curse was meant to be his chance to escape this town with his wife and son- grandson, he corrected himself. But things didn't go as planned. During what was supposed to be his final confrontation with the pirate Belle had discovered his treachery. He'd forgotten that he had actually given her the real dagger. She prevented him from crushing the pirate's heart and ordered him to wait in the shop. He'd never seen her look at him the way she did today. Her eyes were filled betrayal and anger.<p>

He looked up as the bell above the door rung. "Belle…"

She looked at him warily, her eyes were sore from crying. "Give me the heart." She whispered.

"Belle…"

"Give. Me. The. Heart."

He turned to the counter and grabbed the heart from where he'd left it. As he handed it to her he realized that he was giving her his last chance to be free from the dagger.

Belle stared at the beating heart in her hands. It was redder than she expected. It must be his love for Emma. The woman her husband had attempted to kill less than eighteen hours ago. "Rumple I have always thought that deep down inside you were a good man. It's why I have forgiven you for every hurtful, deceitful and cruel thing that you had done to everyone in this town. I have always had faith that when it came down to it you would choose me over power. Today you have finally proven me wrong."

"Belle please. I did this for us."

"You did this for you, Rumple. And I am quite certain now that you have never done anything for me." Said Belle with tears in her eyes. She sighed before she asked the question she already knew the answer to. "Did you kill Zelena?"

Rumple's silence told her all she needed to know. "You couldn't go a day without lying to me could you?"

"She killed my son-"

"DON"T YOU DARE BRING NEAL INTO THIS!" cried Belle. "For the last 300 years you have used your son as an excuse to hurt and manipulate everyone around you but not today. You will not disgrace his memory like that. Not in front of me you won't."

She took a deep breath before she continued. "Your son wanted one thing from you Rumple. And that was for you to become a better man. You failed him Rumple. You tried to destroy the love of his life, the mother of your grandson, just so you could be free of the dagger. You were willing to doom every person in this town and I cannot forgive you for that."

Rumpelstiltskin hadn't begged for anything in more than three hundred years but he couldn't lose Belle. Without her he would be completely lost in the darkness. His chin trembled as he begged the love of his life for one more chance. "Belle please don't leave. I am sorry for lying to you and the pain I've caused. You're the only light in my life. I don't know how I'll survive without you. So please just give me one more chance. I love you."

"And I love you Rumple." Belle slipped her wedding ring off her finger and placed it on the counter. "But just like it wasn't enough for you yesterday, it isn't enough for me now."

She turned to walk out of the store. "I'm giving Hook his heart back. I won't be coming back here again so please don't follow me."

And with that she left. It wasn't until she turned the corner that she finally allowed herself to break down in tears.

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><p><strong>Let me know if you liked it or hated it. Please Review.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

She got to Snow and David's loft before she even realized it. That tends to happen when you walk around in a daze. She knocked on the door apprehensively. Would they be angry with her for Rumple's actions?

Snow was the one who finally opened the door. "Belle! What are you doing here?"

"Um is Emma here?"

"Yeah come on in." she answered stepping aside. The tiny loft was filled with most of Storybrooke's leaders. Regina stood by the kitchen checking Henry, Robin and Roland for injuries while Elsa, Anna and Kristoff took the time to finally catch up with each other. Emma however was pacing the loft while Charming and Hook looked at her warily. She didn't even notice Belle walk in. "I can't believe this. Killian he took your heart! How could you not tell me this?"

"Because he wasn't permitted to." Answered Belle meekly. "It's hard to disobey someone when they literally have their hands on your heart."

Emma turned at Belle's voice. "Belle! What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off comforting your husband on his failed plot?"

"Emma!" admonished Snow.

"He's not my husband anymore." Belle said quietly.

"What?" said Snow.

"We aren't together anymore." Said Belle quickly. She didn't want to talk about Rumple. It was too painful and confusing. "I just wanted to return something to you."

She pulled Hook's heart out of her coat pocket and every one took notice. Hook stood once he realized what was in Belle's hands. "Is that-?"

"Yes it's your heart."

"It's so red." Said Charming curiously.

"Does that surprise you mate?" said Hook, clearly offended.

"I personally was expecting a few more dark spots." Said Regina from the kitchen.

"It doesn't matter how bright it is!" said Emma clearly frustrated. She turned to Regina. "Can you put it back?"

"Yes, it should be fairly simple." Answered the queen. "However, Miss Swan, I think it's time you learned this skill yourself."

Emma gulped in response. "How do I do it?"

"You might want to start by actually picking up the heart." Stated Regina. Emma stared at Hook's beating heart in response. She knew if she squeezed his heart even a tiny bit more than she was supposed to he would feel unbearable pain. She gently lifted his heart into her hands. She looked at Belle afterwards. "I can't believe you felt safe enough to put this in your coat pocket."

"Focus Emma." Said Regina. "Take the heart and place it over where his heart should be."

Emma looked at Hook with uncertainty painted on her face. He gave her a look of encouragement. "Go ahead Swan. I have complete faith in you."

She carefully placed the heart next to his chest.

"Okay now push it slowly but firmly into his chest." Continued Regina. Emma gave Hook one last look before pushing the heart into his chest. He groaned at the pressure he felt and stumbled backwards.

"Hook?" said quietly.

"I'm alright. You did brilliantly." He said hugging her. He looked over her head. "Thank you Belle."

Belle gave him a tense smile in response. She felt a weight lift from her shoulders as soon as Hook's heart was returned. At least this was fixed. As Emma took Hook upstairs to rest Belle turned to leave.

"Belle wait." Said Snow. "When you said you and Gold were no longer together does that mean that you left the house."

Belle hadn't really thought about it. While leaving her marriage was an impulsive decision she was sure that it was right for her. But now that she thought about it she didn't want to go back to their house but she didn't exactly have any other housing prospects. "Yeah, I think I'll just stay at the library for now."

Snow gave her a bright look. "You know if you need a place to stay…"

"She can stay with me." Interrupted Regina. Everyone looked at her with surprise.

"Oh don't give those looks!" she said. "Belle I know our history isn't the greatest but you can't possibly stay here. With the Charmings, Emma, Neal and Henry's weekly visits you'd end up in a sleeping bag on the kitchen counter. I have a lot of room at my house. I'll hardly notice you're there. Besides I'm sure Henry would love to have you close by."

Belle looked at her with apprehension. Being roommates with Regina didn't sound like a picnic but Rumple would never look for her there. "I guess that would be okay for now. I just need a place to lay my head at night anyway."

"I guess I'll get a room ready for you then." Said Regina.


	3. Chapter 3

The last time Belle entered the former mayor's house they were trying to defeat the Wicked Witch. She was rushing in to tell them information so she didn't really have a chance to take in the décor. As she looked around the illustrious foyer the only thing she could think is how much of Regina she could see in the house. It was elegant, stylish, and like everything in Regina's life she could tell it took a lot more effort than Regina was willing to admit.

"So the guest rooms are up the stairs and down hall." stated Regina walking towards the kitchen. "There are three so you can just pick the one that you're most comfortable with."

She was a bit unsure of how comfortable the bookworm would feel living with her. The least she could do was let her pick out her own room. She was halfway to the kitchen when she heard Belle call her name. She turned to face her unexpected guest. "Yes?"

"Why are you letting me stay here?" asked Belle bluntly. She and Regina had never been close. The woman had locked her up in an asylum for 28 years for crying out loud. She knew that Regina had changed but that didn't mean she didn't have an ulterior motive for letting her stay here.

"I already told you. There was no room for you at the loft and I had the spare room." Answered Regina

"Regina after today I have realized that heard enough lies to last me the rest of my life. Please don't let me hear them from you. Not today at least." Replied Belle. She was truly tired of being lied to. If she was a pawn in some ridiculous chess game between Regina and Rumple the least they could do is tell her.

Regina looked at Belle. She could never understand how a woman with instincts like hers could wind up with someone as treacherous as the Dark One. She supposed if she truly wanted to gain Belle's trust she would have to be honest.

"Belle do you know why I originally wanted to study magic?" she asked folding her arms.

"To get revenge on Snow?"

"No. While that was a big part of it the revenge came later." Corrected Regina. "The real reason I wanted to learn magic was so I could get away from my husband, Leopold. At first I thought I could get away by horse but that proved unfruitful. Even if I did manage to get away Leopold could send hundreds of soldiers to search for me. I wouldn't even make it ten miles. I was trapped in that marriage with no way out and no safe place to go. It was a nightmare. I wouldn't wish that on any woman. Not even Snow. And certainly not you. You might have been able to leave Rumple but that's only half the battle. You still need a safe place to recover and rebuild yourself. I'd like for this house to be that safe place for you. And if you need to you'll always be able to come here."

Belle had to admit she hadn't expected that from Regina. The older woman rarely talked about her marriage to the king. Now Belle could understand that it was too painful for her. "Thank you for your honesty Regina."

"You're welcome Belle." replied Regina. "Now that you've gotten your sentimental minute out of me is there anything else you need?"

"I guess just pajamas for the night."

"I'll conjure some up for you."

"Thanks," Belle said heading for the stairs.

"Oh and Belle? Remind me to make you spare key the next time you go out." smiled Regina. She knew the she and Belle weren't close but she meant what she said. She would do everything in her power to make sure that she felt safe here.

Walking up the stairs Belle suddenly remembered something very important. "Wait! Regina we still have something to discuss."

Regina rolled her eyes. What else could the bookworm possibly want? "And what would that be?"

"What the hell I'm supposed to do with this," she said pulling the out the dagger from her coat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I just needed to update this chapter. I uploaded it then realized that half of it was missing. Please fav and review. You know how I love that.**

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><p>The Dark One's dagger is the most dangerous item in all the realms. It can provide someone with unlimited power. Its wielder could flatten armies, mountains and anything else in their way. Yes, everyone thinks that the dagger is a powerful weapon but the name inscribed on the blade tells you what is really is. A leash. Anyone who dares to use this weapon and gain its power binds them self to it forever. They'll be controlled by the dagger and more importantly they'll be enslaved to wills of whoever holds it. And someone having that kind of power can be very dangerous.<p>

That's why this infamous weapon was currently sitting on Regina's kitchen counter with six pairs of eyes staring at it. Regina had called a meeting with the Charming clan as soon as Belle told her she possessed the dagger. Now they were all gathered around her kitchen counter staring at it trying to decide what to do.

"Does Gold know that you still have the dagger?" asked Charming.

"Yes," answered Belle. "But when I left the shop I told him not to follow me. I had the dagger at the time so I think he still has to follow my command."

"So the question is: what do we do with the dagger now?" asked Snow.

"I can think of a few things," said Hook going for the blade. Regina slapped his hand away.

"Not so fast Captain Guyliner. As much as I hate it if we're going to do something about Gold and this dagger we're going to at least be humane about it."

"Humane?" questioned Hook. "Was he humane when he ripped out my heart and nearly doomed everyone in this town to a violent death?"

"This isn't about who he is or what he's done," said Snow. "It's about who we are and what we're willing to do. And I don't think I'm willing to have that much control over another person's life no matter how dark they are."

"Snow Hook might have a point." Interjected Charming. "Gold has proven himself too dangerous to be left to his own devices."

"That doesn't mean we should be dragging him along by this sharpened leash." countered Regina.

"So what do you suggest we do?" questioned Emma. "Wait until he decides to suck me into another hat."

"We need to hide the dagger." answered Belle decisively. Every one turned to look at her. She'd barely spoken the whole meeting. While she knew that Rumple was an issue that had to be dealt with she didn't necessarily want to part of the solution. As much as it pained her she still loved Rumple and she didn't want her feelings for him to cloud her judgment like they had before. However listening to this town's leaders bickering like children was enough for her to speak up. "Rumple might be defeated for now but we all know that he won't stay down for long."

"How is hiding the dagger supposed to solve that problem?" challenged Emma.

"It took me awhile to see it but Rumple is obsessed with power, especially his own. If he thinks that someone else has power over him it will be the only thing he will be able to think about."

"Meaning he won't be focusing on the hat or leaving Storybrooke." Realized Regina. "Perfect distraction."

"What are we supposed to be doing while he's out looking for the dagger?" questioned Snow.

"Coming up with a more permanent solution." Answered Belle. "One that doesn't involve torturing him. I know that he has hurt and betrayed every person in this room but this isn't about revenge. This is about keeping the town safe."

Despite Belle's plan Hook was still unconvinced but he didn't really care about his own opinion. "What do you think Swan?"

Emma crossed her arms and thought for a minute. "Rumpelstiltskin tried to kill me, destroy this town and kidnap my son. I want for him to suffer more than anything right now. However, he's still Neal's father."

"And Henry's grandfather despite how much I hate that fact," added Regina.

"Neal died to keep my brother safe and save this town." Continued Emma. "And because of that I think we should honor him by showing his father mercy. This time."

Hook hated the Crocodile more than anything but he understood what Emma was saying. They owed it to Baelfire. "For Neal then."

"Okay," said Charming. "Where do we hide the dagger?"

"Belle why don't you just take the dagger and keep it someplace safe?" suggested Snow.

"No. I don't want anything more to do with him than absolutely necessary right now." said Belle. "Regina should hide the dagger. She's the only one who might be able to deal with Rumple if he tries to use magic."

"I can think of a few safe places." Replied Regina. "I'll take care of it for now."

"Alright." Said Charming. "You take care of the dagger and the rest of us will research a way to take away Rumpelstiltskin's power."

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><p>After the meeting Belle took refuge in Regina's library. She'd always felt comfortable around books. They were the only thing that could take her where she wanted to go: anywhere but here. The past 36 hours had still didn't seem real to Belle. She'd ended a marriage, saved a pirate and participated in a meeting with her Kingdom's leaders. While that might be an average day for anyone in Storybrooke it was still exhausting. She needed to escape reality for little awhile. She tried to take comfort in one of her favorites from this land, Pride and Prejudice, but Lizzie Bennet's romance just wasn't enticing her like it used to. All she could think about was Rumpelstiltskin. Regina found her a few hours later.<p>

"I took care of the dagger," she said. Belle only nodded in response.

"Are you okay?" she prodded.

"I'm fine Regina," she answered. "I'm just reading."

"No you're not. It's been hours. If you were really reading you'd be past page three." said Regina.

Belle looked up at her clearly annoyed. "What exactly do you expect me to say?"

"The same thing you expected from me Belle. The truth." She sat down in the armchair next to her. "I know the meeting was hard for you."

"It was necessary," said Belle practically. "I didn't want to hold on to the dagger anymore."

"Why not?" questioned Regina. "You wouldn't misuse it. And you could've made sure that he wouldn't come after you."

"I don't want to control him." answered Belle. "I just wanted to get away from him right now but I can't even do that because..."

"He's still all you think about." finished Regina. She could see that Belle was still struggling with her feelings for the imp. Quite frankly it didn't surprise her. For too long Rumpelstiltskin had been only person Belle had truly formed a relationship with. Even she could see that the dependency that they had with each other was a bit unhealthy. It was going to be a long time before Belle could truly detach herself from her feelings about him. "Belle it's okay to still care. It's normal even."

"But I don't want to care anymore." said Belle with tears in her eyes. "I don't want to worry or think about what happens to him."

"It's not a light switch honey. You can't just flip it off." responded Regina. "It's going to take time. However there's one piece of advice I can give you."

"What?"

"Don't make this about him." said Regina. "Make this about you and what you need. You used to be the wife of the Dark One but that's no longer who you are. You need to go back to being Belle French."

"What if I don't know who that is anymore?" asked Belle.

"Well," said Regina standing up. "You have a roof over your head and time on your hands. Figure it out."


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay sorry for the delays but finals were insane so thank you for patience. To the new followers welcome and thank you. This chapter is extra long but there is a lot going on in this chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p>It was a Wednesday evening when Belle found herself sitting at Granny's lost in her thoughts. The vanilla latte she'd ordered had long since gone cold but she hadn't noticed. It had been three weeks since she'd moved in with Regina and Belle felt like she was finally starting to get into a routine. Though most of her time was spent researching with the Charmings and Regina the rest of it was spent trying to rediscover herself. The queen had been right when she said that Belle had needed to focus on who she was now. For so long her life had revolved around her relationship with the Dark One. Hell, she still regarded it as the second-most defining aspect of her life, her mother's death being the first. It was a struggle for her to define who she was without him. She looked up, startled, when she felt someone sit across from her in the booth. "Henry! What are you doing here?"<p>

Henry was on his way home from the Charming loft when he noticed Belle through the window. She looked positively melancholy but that was nothing new. Since she had moved into the mansion with him and his mother Henry had noticed that Belle seemed to be haunting the place more than living in it. When she was there she barely spoke a word or came out of her room but every night he could hear her crying herself to sleep. He'd decided that it was probably best to give her space but seeing her through Granny's window blankly staring into a cold latte was so depressing it had finally spurred him into action. It was time to step into Operation Beauty.

"I saw you through the window. I thought I'd say hi," he said.

"Well that's very kind of you." As much as Belle was glad to have someone to distract her from her thoughts she was still very unsure of how to interact with Henry. She cared for him, of course, but she never really knew how to define their relationship. Technically she was, or used to be, his grandmother but with their minimal age difference she'd never really grown into that role.

"Actually I've been meaning to give something to you." He said reaching into his backpack. He pulled out the storybook and handed it to her. She looked at the cover, confused. Once Upon A Time. Behind those four words was almost the entire history of nearly everyone in the Enchanted Forest. "Henry you love this book. Why are you giving it to me?"

Like it was the simplest thing in the world he answered, "Because you need it now."

"Henry as sweet as that is I don't think the answers to my problems are in the book."

"You're wrong." He protested. "When I found out I was adopted I felt like I didn't know who I was anymore. Then I got the book and it showed me this history. When I needed it to this book led me to my family and helped me remember who I am. I can tell that without Rumpelstiltskin you feel like you don't know who you are anymore but you've done amazing things without him by your side. You might have forgotten them but I know this book can help you remember. Just look in it. You'll see."

She smiled at him from across the table. "When did you get so wise?"

"Have you seen what's happened to me in the past four years?" he chuckled. "If I haven't grown from those experiences there's something seriously wrong with me."

Belle set the book down and looked at him seriously. "Henry I want you to know that no matter what happens between me and your grandfather you'll always remain a very special person to me. You know that right?"

"Of course I know that." said Henry standing up. "Even if you're not my grandma you'll always be family."

She smiled at Henry as he left. One day she'd have to ask Regina how she'd managed to raise such an amazing son.

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><p>Across town Regina had just left the mayor's office. She had to update the Charmings on her research with the dagger. They'd insisted on knowing her daily progress but there wasn't much to report. The Dark One's curse seemed unbreakable and the Dark One himself seemed to be laying low. All Regina wanted right now was to go home and eat dinner with her son. But of course she would never get off that easy. She'd barely made it two blocks before she felt <em>his<em> presence. She slowed her walk to a reluctant stop.

"It's late and I want to go home. So let's just get this over with shall we?"

For more than three hundred years the magic of the dagger had preserved Rumpelstiltskin's youth. He hadn't aged a day since he became the Dark One but now, as he emerged from the shadows, Regina could see how old he truly was. His chin was thickly lined with stubble and his eyes had never looked so hollow. Even his limp seemed more severe. Clearly life without Belle wasn't treating him great.

"Well Rumple, I would say that you looked well but then I'd be a liar." Smirked Regina.

"Just what do you think you're doing, dearie?" he asked threateningly.

"Nothing that truly concerns you, _dearie_." Retorted Regina. She couldn't let him know their true plans for the dagger.

"If it concerns my wife, it concerns me." He countered.

Regina chuckled in response. Of course this was about Belle. He still thinks he has a chance with her, she thought.

"If I'm not mistaken you no longer have a wife." She sneered.

"Belle will come back to me." Rumple said confidently. "I may have lied to her but soon she will realize that she loves me enough to forgive me."

"You actually think you still have a chance with her?" she questioned in disbelief. "Rumple Belle might still love you but it won't be enough to bring her back to you. Without trust love just fades away. And her trust in you is positively shattered."

Rumple grip on his cane tightened. "Be that as it may I'd still prefer her to be away from your influence."

"Lucky for me you have no say in the matter."

"What exactly do you get out of this Regina?" probed Rumple walking towards her menacingly. "Are really taking in Belle just to piss me off?"

"You'd think after three hundred years you'd learn that not everything is about you." Responded Regina. "I have my own reasons for allowing Belle under my roof none of which have anything to do with you."

She shook her head at him in disbelief. For decades this man had seemed all-powerful to her. A magical entity that held all the answers. Now she saw him for what he really was: a cowardly man with too much power on his hands.

"You forgot the number one rule when it comes to villains Rumple." She looked him dead in the eyes as she continued. "You. Can't. Have. Everything. You really thought that you could have it all and look at you now. Belle has left. Henry doesn't want to see you. Now that you've gone after their daughter and her pirate the Charmings have decided that your usefulness is no longer worth your risk. You've truly lost everything that matters. "

She started to walk away when Rumple called out to her. "If I truly have lost everything then why hasn't Belle used my dagger against me yet?"

Regina turned back with a smirk on her lips. "And who says the dagger is still in Belle's hands?"

She sent herself home in a swirl smoke before she could even enjoy the look of shock on Rumpelstiltskin's face.

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><p>Belle was in her room staring at the storybook when she heard Henry and Regina settling down to dinner. She hadn't really been joining them these last few weeks but tonight she felt differently. When she came downstairs she found them at the kitchen table laughing at one of Henry's school stories. Regina noticed her first.<p>

"Belle!" she smiled. "Did you come down for dinner?"

"Yes," said Belle uncertainly. "That is if I'm not intruding?"

"Of course not." Regina answered.

"Yeah we saved a place for you." Said Henry enthusiastically pointing at a third chair. Belle smiled as a she took a seat. She thought she only needed a place to lay her head at night but this place was starting to feel more and more like home.

Unbeknownst to the strange little family at the dining room table Rumpelstiltskin watched them from the shadows of the forest. He seethed in the darkness. Regina had stolen his second chance at a family. He, Belle and Henry should be in New York. Just the three of them.

And they'd get there no matter what he had to do.

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><p><strong>So there you have it! Rumpelstiltskin knows about the dagger. I had a hard time writing the Rumple and Regina scene so let me know what you thought. There energy is hard to capture.<strong> **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay first of all how fantastic was Belle in Sunday's episode! I am so glad our badass bookworm was there in full force. And that Rumbelle break-up was just the right amount of heartbreaking. Secondly, for the purposes of this fic Robin didn't have to leave Storybrooke. That was sad enough to watch I don't think I can write about it. Anyway here's chapter 6.**

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><p>Ever since Regina had told them about Rumpelstiltskin's visit everyone had been on high alert. Now that he knew about the dagger Rumple was sure to be plotting a way to discover its location. She and the Charmings sat in the backroom of Granny's trying to come up with a game plan.<p>

"So what did you tell him about the dagger?" Charming asked Regina.

Regina rolled her eyes. How many times did they have to go over this? "Like I said before I only told him that Belle no longer had it. I didn't allude to where it is or who has it now."

"Where did you put it anyway?" said Snow curiously.

"I think it's best that you don't know," answered Regina. "If Rumple suspects that you do he'll try to torture it out of you. Let's just say that it's safe with family."

Snow only nodded in response. It took years but she could finally trust Regina again like she did when she was a little girl. She'd keep the dagger safe. "Okay but I think it's time there we started putting more defenses up. Do you think you and Emma can set up some protective spells around town? At least at some of the more important places."

"Me, yes. Emma may need more practice."

"Well I guess this is perfect time for her to get some experience." Said Charming. "We should definitely put some spells up at each of our houses. We need our homes to be safe."

Regina nodded her in agreement. She promised Belle a safe place from Rumpelstiltskin and she would keep her promise. "We should also do the mayor's office, Granny's and the library. Belle spends a lot of time there and Rumple's sure to come after her."

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><p>Across town Belle was sitting at the library reading the storybook. She looked at the detailed drawing of the Yaoguai. That had been her first real adventure. She smiled fondly at the memory. She'd proved those boorish men wrong and saved a life. When she saved Philip from his curse she'd truly felt like a hero. <em>I want that feeling back<em>, she thought sadly.

She felt a soft breeze when the front door opened and Henry entered with a friend. "Hey Belle!"

"Hello Henry," she responded brightly. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Grace." He answered. The young girl waved shyly at her. "We're working on a school project together. We need to make a diorama of the Roman coliseum. Do you have any books on ancient Rome?"

"Of course I do," she said brightly. At least someone was coming in the library. "It should be in the corner between Ancient Greece and the Renaissance. Let me show you."

As Grace went ahead of them Henry looked over at Belle. "So I saw you looking at the book. Is it helping?"

"It is," she smiled at hi. "Don't worry about me Henry. I'll find my way." And for the first time in a while she felt like that was true. Henry had been right that day at the diner. Looking at the book had helped her remember that there was more to her than her time with Rumpelstiltskin. She'd done amazing things without him before. And she will again. She just needed the opportunity. As she helped Henry and Grace look for their books she glanced out the window and realized the opportunity to be heroic was coming sooner rather than later. She could see Rumpelstiltskin headed towards the library.

Her heartbeat sped up and her mind raced at a mile a minute. What was he doing here? How was she going to defend herself against him if he got violent? Would he get violent? She was shaken out her thoughts when Henry touched her shoulder. "Belle are you okay?"

No matter what happened the kids shouldn't be here for it. She turned towards him. "Henry I need you take Grace and take your books and get in the elevator."

"What?"

"Right now Henry. Right now!" she said shoving all the books in his hands. "Come on Grace."

"What's going on?" asked Grace clearly frightened. Belle ushered the kids over to the library elevator.

"Nothing is wrong sweetheart. You just can't be here right now. You can work on your project in the upstairs apartment. Henry you might want to call your mom for help. She… really knows how to handle Roman projects." She said quickly hoping he understood her meaning. She didn't think Rumple would hurt her but it couldn't hurt to have some fire power around.

"Oh okay," said Henry firmly before she sent them up in the elevator. He could tell by the way that Belle practically threw them in the elevator that something was wrong. Once they reached the apartment he pulled out his cell phone and called Regina. "Mom you need to get down to the library now!"

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><p>Belle barely had enough time to send the kids upstairs before Rumpelstiltskin enter the library.<p>

"Rumple," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

She took in his appearance. He looked positively haggard. His suit was wrinkled and he'd barely shaved but that wasn't what scared her. It was his eyes. They weren't just dark they were completely hollow. As if he had no soul at all.

"I thought it was time we had a talk." he said. "I want you to forgive me and come back home. I need you. "

Belle squared her shoulders and stood up straighter. She had to remain strong here. This was the man who had lied to her at every chance. He would never change and she needed to remember that. "Rumple I don't want to talk to you. You are a liar and a coward and you don't deserve my forgiveness."

"Belle…" he begged. "I need you."

"Rumple I have spent too many years focusing on what you need. It's time for me think about what I need now. " She said quickly. "And right now I need for you to leave."

When she rejected him his entire demeanor changed. His back straightened and she could swear his eyes went darker. "Make me." He said menacingly.

"What?" said Belle shocked.

"If you want me to leave," he said stalking towards her. "Make me."

Belle couldn't even speak she was so afraid of him right now. He might have been a man once but right now he was all beast. She backed into a bookcase before she realized there was nowhere else for her to go.

"So you don't have my dagger," he whispered menacingly. "That dagger can control my every action and you GAVE IT AWAY!"

She jumped at his voice. The only other time he'd been this angry was when he'd battered Hook on his ship. He looked completely insane.

"Where is it?" he asked chillingly.

"I don't know." she said jutting out her chin. And that was all he would get out of her. She would die before she told him anything else. For the first time since she met him she couldn't see Rumpelstiltskin, only the Dark One.

"Is there a problem here?"

Both Belle and Rumpelstiltskin turned towards the new voice. It was Grace's father, Jefferson. He looked at the two of them with his blue eyes. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Nothing that concerns you Hatter." spat Rumpelstiltskin. "This is a private conversation so you'd better go."

Jefferson looked at Belle. Despite her effort to hide her fear he could see that she was afraid of the man in front of her. He couldn't leave.

"Well be that as it may I promised my Grace that I would meet her here after school. She's not here yet but I'm sure that she's on her way." He said walking over to a table and taking a seat cheekily. "So if it's all the same to you I think I'll just wait for her right here."

Rumpelstiltskin glared at him. "Hatter…"

"Oh look," said Jefferson staring out the window. "Here comes Regina. Maybe she knows where Grace is?"

Rumple looked out the window and indeed saw the queen, along with the prince and princess, rushing toward the library. He couldn't deal with them right now. Not while his power was still in question. He turned back to Belle.

"We're not finished." He said before smoking out of the room. Belle let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding right when the royal trio rushed into the library. Regina rushed over to the shaken librarian. "Belle are you okay? Where's Henry?"

"I'm fine. I sent Henry upstairs with Grace. They're both okay." As if on cue the elevator opened and out ran Henry and Grace each rushing toward their respective parent.

"Grace are you okay?" asked Jefferson putting an arm around his daughter.

"Yes papa." Answered Grace still a little shaken. "Mrs. Gold sent us upstairs."

"It's Ms. French now." Corrected Belle.

"Well no matter what your last name it seems I owe you thanks." said Jefferson.

"I owe you thanks for staying." Smiled Belle. She was quite thankful for the Hatter's unexpected bravery.

"What happened?" asked Charming.

"Rumpelstiltskin was here." Answered Belle sullenly.

"Where did he go?" asked Snow alarmed.

"I don't know. He smoked out when he saw you coming. He came here to confirm that I didn't have the dagger on me." Said Belle.

"Did he hurt you?" said Regina placing a protective hand on the younger brunette's shoulder. She should've known better than to leave Belle alone with that maniac on the loose.

"I'm fine," Belle assured her. "I've just… I've never seen him look at me like that before."

Charming turned toward Regina. "How soon can you put those spells up Regina because it looks like we're going to need them sooner than we thought?"

"I'll start working on them as soon as we get home. Now that Rumple knows Belle doesn't have the dagger I suspect he'll start coming for us all." Answered the queen grimly.

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey so here comes a super long chapter. It's filled with a spot of outlawqueen fluff and an important swanbeauty conversation. Thanks for all the follows and reviews!**

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><p>Belle hadn't had a moment alone since the debacle at the library. Regina was more concerned than ever about her safety and now she barely left her side. It wasn't just Regina though. The Charmings, Emma, and even Hook were hesitant to leave her alone. Which was why for breakfast she was sitting across from the jittery queen at Granny's. Regina had been drumming her fingers on the table ever since they'd arrived.<p>

"You know if you're impatient I could always eat by myself." Said Belle.

"Nice try bookworm," replied Regina. "But you're not getting rid of me that easy."

Belle sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. It was comforting to know that so many people cared for her but she could really use some time alone.

"I know this is frustrating Belle but you need the protection." Said Regina.

Belle squinted at Regina from across the diner table. "Are you sure this is about my safety? Or are you just using me as distraction for something else?"

Regina glared at Belle. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I think you do," challenged Belle. "I heard about what happened with Robin."

The queen groaned in response. Since the Snow Queen had been defeated the spell that had frozen Marian had worn off. With her heart returned she'd made a full recovery and gone back to her family. Regina hadn't spoken to Robin since she'd returned his wife's heart. The archer had tried on several occasions to see her but she would always turn the other way when she saw him coming.

"I know you've been avoiding him," said Belle gently.

"I'm not avoiding him," protested Regina. "He's free to talk to me whenever he pleases."

"Oh good cause it looks like he's heading inside right now." Said Belle.

Regina's head whipped toward the window but she saw nothing. She turned back to glare at Belle. "You're not funny."

"Wasn't trying to be funny. Just trying to prove a point," retorted Belle with a smirk. "Why won't you talk to him Regina?"

"Because I already know what he'll say," said Regina. "He's staying with Marian, she's his wife."

"You don't know that," said Belle.

"Don't I?" said Regina. "He already chose her once before and when he told me I barely survived with my soul intact. Why would I rip my own heart apart by listening to him tell me how he's chosen her once again."

"Regina he might have chosen honor once but that doesn't mean he will again. We've all seen the way he looks at you. It's like you're the moon and the stars to him."

Regina just shook her head. "It's not enough. The ink is dried when it comes to my fate. Villains don't get happy endings."

"You're not a villain anymore." Replied Belle reaching for the queen's hand. "You're on a much better path now. And I know it sounds cliché but you're only going to be as happy as you allow yourself to be. Don't give up on him just yet because I know he hasn't given up on you."

Regina stared at the hopeful brunette across from her. How could she still have so much faith in love after what happened with Rumple? "I know you believe that Belle but I just can't find the faith in me right now."

Belle smiled at her. "Lucky for you I have faith for the both of us. Or three it seems because here comes Robin."

Regina just chuckled at her. "You really shouldn't use the same joke twice bookworm."

"Hello Regina."

Regina stilled at the familiar sound of her name. She turned and looked into the blue eyes that she loved so much.

"Robin," she breathed.

"I came to talk," he said calmly. Regina just stared at him before curtly nodding head. Belle's eyes darted between the queen and the archer.

"I think I'll just go," she said quietly leaving the booth. As she headed out of the diner she smiled to herself. She truly hoped Regina would get her happy ending. She looked down at her watch she probably had a good hour alone before anyone came looking for her. Maybe she could head to park and sit for a while-

"Belle!"

She stopped in her tracks. _Damn it, _she thought. She turned to see Emma standing behind her with her arms folded across her chest. "What are you doing out here alone?"

"Regina and Robin needed to talk so I thought I would spend some time alone," explained the librarian. This was getting ridiculous. If she wanted to spend some time by herself then she shouldn't have to explain it to anyone.

"Belle you know it's not safe for you to be alone right now. You have no way to protect yourself."

"Then give me one because I can't take having everyone constantly following me!" argued Belle. "I need some time to myself."

Emma could hear the frustration in Belle's voice and she was sympathetic. She remembered what it was like in foster homes when the adults would watch her every move.

"Okay," she replied. "If you want I'll give you a way to protect yourself but you'll probably hate it."

And that's how Belle ended up in the woods for her first shooting lesson.

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><p>CRACK! A mason jar exploded when struck with a bullet. Belle gasped as the sound hit her eardrums. She looked at the revolver in in her hand. How could something so small be so powerful?<p>

"Maybe I would be better off with a crossbow," she said apprehensively. When she said she wanted protection she was thinking of something more magic oriented.

"I know it's scary," said Emma setting up another row of multicolored mason jars on a log. "but a bullet will be much harder for Rumpelstiltskin stop than an arrow. You're doing fine. And I made sure we're in a secluded area so as long as you do what I say nothing bad is going to happen. Alright?"

"Okay," nodded Belle. She supposed she must look like a very strange sight right now. Standing in her tights and pleated skirt attempting to shoot mason jars with a revolver. It reminded her of the time Rumple had given her a gun in case Hook came looking for her. It just felt wrong. She shook her head trying to get her ex-husband from her thoughts.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked Emma.

"Just nervous," answered Belle honestly. Did she really have it in her to shoot Rumple? "I've never been shooting before."

"I actually meant about everything with Rumpelstiltskin. I know this must be difficult after everything that's happened."

Belle just took a deep breath. She didn't want to talk about this now. Not with Emma. "I don't think this is a good time to talk about this subject."

Emma looked at her with understanding in her eyes. "Belle we're in the forest trying to teach you how to shoot in case your ex-husband tries to come after you. The only way to make sure that your emotions aren't affecting you right now is to let them out. So c'mon tell me how you really feel about him."

In that moment Belle thought of everything that happened with Rumpelstiltskin in the last month. How he'd lied through their entire marriage. How he'd threatened her friends. How he'd accosted her at the library. And she just exploded. "The truth is that I have spent the past month going over every second of our relationship trying to figure out where it went so wrong. It just keeps playing in my head like a movie and it doesn't stop. It makes me sad and it makes me angry and I don't know how to stop it! I can't stop thinking about him and about us and I just don't understand! I don't understand how he could do that to me! How he could lie and betray me like that! It's like I can't even tell if anything that happened between us real. I want to get over it but I just… cant. I'm tired of feeling this way."

She leaned against Emma's bug and took a few heaving breaths when she finished. She didn't even feel Emma rubbing her hand against her back in comfort.

"Belle I know it's hard but these emotions you're feeling they're important and you'll get past them when time is right."

"How did you get past it with Neal?" asked Belle. While in the Enchanted Forest Neal had told her about what happened between him and Emma. It's why he was so desperate to get back to her. He didn't want her and Henry to remember him as the man who abandoned her, pregnant and alone, in jail.

Emma took a deep breath before continuing. Talking about Neal was always painful for her. "The truth is I only started to get past it when I found him in New York. When he let me go to jail for stealing those watches it poked holes in everything I thought I knew. I was so angry at him but I was angrier at myself. I couldn't believe that I let him trick me like that. It hurt like hell to think about because I knew that I still loved him. I tried to ignore those emotions and harden my heart by hating him and trying to convince myself that nothing that we shared was real. When I found him in New York it was like all the feelings I spent the last decade trying to ignore decided to rise up and punch me in the face. It only got worse when I heard the real reason behind everything. Neal wasn't trying to play me or set me up. He just thought that sending me to prison was easier to live with than seeing his father one more time. And realizing that just made me let go of everything that I had for him. Neal might've loved me but he didn't think I was worth fighting for. And I think the same thing happened with you and Rumple. You weren't wrong about his love for you Belle. He just wasn't as strong as you needed him to be."

"It looks like weakness ran in the family," said Belle absorbing Emma's story. She didn't expect for the savior to be able to relate to her. Emma was such a strong person that sometimes it was hard to remember her life before Storybrooke was filled with more pain than she liked to let on. Belle truly admired the women standing next to her.

Emma let Belle calm down for a few more minutes before asking her if she was ready to take another shot. Belle thought for minute before nodding her head. It didn't matter what she felt for Rumpelstiltskin or what he felt for her. She needed to protect herself.

She raised the gun. Aimed at one of the jars and fired.

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><p>When Emma dropped her off at home it was already dark. It had been an emotionally exhausting day and all she wanted to do was head to sleep but she found Regina standing in the kitchen waiting up for her.<p>

"Regina…" said Belle cautiously. She didn't know what mood she would find the older woman in after her talk with Robin. What if things hadn't worked out for her? But the queen turned to her wide, almost giddy smile on her face.

"He chose me," she laughed with tears in her eyes. "He actually chose me!"

"Oh my god," said Belle with a smile on her face. She walked over and gave Regina a warm hug. "I told you."

At least someone was getting their happy ending.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys thanks for again for keeping up with the story! I know a few of you were concerned that Belle would be forced to shoot Rumple and you can calm down right now because that's not what's going to happen I promise. The last chapter was very dramatic so this time we're taking a fluffier Henry-centric route filled with SwanQueen co-parenting.**

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><p>"Were you out of your mind Miss Swan?!"<p>

If Regina was filled with joy when she learned of Robin Hood's decision to choose her it evaporated when she heard of Emma's decision to teach Belle to shoot. The next morning she rushed over to the Charming loft to let Emma know exactly what she thought. "What possible excuse could you have to justify giving Belle a gun?"

"I was thinking," argued Emma. "That in the event of her lunatic ex-husband showing up again that maybe she'd want something more productive to do than hide behind the counter and wait for one of us to show up!"

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. It was just like a Charming spawn to not take in consideration anyone else's feelings. "Did it ever occur to you Miss Swan that Belle still has feelings for Rumpelstiltskin? That even if given the proper training and opportunity she would struggle to actually pull the trigger? And that at her first sign of hesitation Rumple would overpower her fueled by a rage that can only be caused by a failed assassination attempt?!"

Emma just glared at her from across the room. She realized that Regina had a point but that didn't mean she had to admit it aloud. "Well how else are we supposed to ensure her safety? We can't be with her every minute of every day and it's clear she doesn't want us to be."

"Well unlike you I actually used my brain and skills to solve this problem." Said Regina reaching into her bag.

Emma rolled her eyes. She hated when the queen got all superior with her. "What do you have?"

"This," said Regina pulling a medallion with a large gem from her purse "is a homing device. I made it with some of the marble from my house. When she's in trouble all she has to do is hold it tightly, press on the stone and it will send her to my house in a similar manner to my swirls. After that she should be safe under the protection spell I put up. I already gave Belle her homing bracelet this morning."

"Then what's that one for?" asked Emma.

"It for Henry obviously. He needs to be protected as well."

Emma stared at the medallion then snorted in laughter. "Regina there's no way he's going to want to wear that. It's huge and hideous."

Regina glared at her. "It's for his own safety. Besides he's a prince. Who does he have to impress?"

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><p>Belle had been enjoying her newfound freedom all day. It was nice to be alone with her thoughts and to be honest she was glad she had another option than the gun. It never felt right. After wandering around town for a while she decided to head to the library. She hadn't been there since her altercation with Rumple and she was eager to get back.<p>

She'd been there for a while when she heard the door open. She smiled when she saw that it was Henry's friend Grace. She'd noticed that the two of them had been spending a lot of their afternoons at together studying for school and doing homework. "Hello Grace. What are you working on today?"

"English." Said the girl brightly. She looked around the library before asking, "Is Henry here?"

"No I'm afraid he had to meet up with his mothers this afternoon. But I could help you study if you want." Suggested Belle.

"No," said Grace clearly deflated. "I think I might just study at home then. See you later Belle."

"Bye Grace." Said Belle. "I'll tell Henry you stopped by."

Grace stopped just short of the entrance and hesitated before turning back. "Does Henry ever… talk about me at all?"

Belle looked at her warily when she realized what was happening. Grace had a crush on Henry! She knew kids their age didn't study that much for no reason. She had to handle this delicately. She didn't know Henry's feelings but she didn't want the girl's feelings to get hurt.

"Well… Henry is a young teenager Grace. When he's at home he doesn't really talk that much at all." She laughed nervously.

Grace forced a chuckle. "Well I guess I'll see you around then."

After she left Belle let out a deep sigh. _Oh dear_, she thought.

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><p>When she finally left the library Belle decided to pick up some groceries for dinner before heading home. Regina had been doing all the cooking lately and she thought it was to do her share of housework. She was cutting up the carrots for a pot roast when Henry came home from the Charming loft.<p>

"Hey Henry," smiled Belle. "Where's your mother?"

"She back at the loft developing strategy with Grandma, Grandpa and Mom." He answered throwing his backpack on the couch. "They're forcing me to wear this hideous medallion."

Belle smirked and raised up her own chunky bracelet. "You're not the only one."

Henry laughed when he saw the equally hideous bracelet. "Have you been wearing that all day?"

"Yeah," chuckled Belle. "But I've been hiding it under my sleeve."

"And that works for you?" he asked skeptically.

"Yup." Replied Belle. "I don't think anyone's noticed. Grace didn't say anything when she came into the library."

She noticed that Henry perked up when she mentioned the young redhead's name. "Grace came by the library?"

"She did," answered Belle setting down the carrot in front of her.

"Did she… ask about me?" said Henry trying to be nonchalant. Of course Belle saw right through that.

"Henry, forgive me for this but I'm going to be blunt." She said staring at him. "Do you like Grace as more than a friend?"

Henry straightened up thrown off by her audacity. He hadn't expected her to be so direct but he did feel like he could be honest with Belle. "So what if I do? It's not like she's interested in me."

Belle took a deep breath. She hadn't realized how oblivious teenage boys could be. "Henry I can assure you that she is very interested in you."

"Really?" said Henry shocked. "How can you tell?"

"I'm a woman." Replied Belle with certainty. "We can always tell. Besides you're a charming young man. Any girl would be lucky to catch your eye."

"Well what am I supposed to do?" asked Henry.

"That's up to you." Said Belle. "Maybe ask her out to a movie or something like that."

"Maybe…" responded Henry quietly. He'd never asked a girl out before. He liked Grace and apparently she liked him but how was he supposed to bring up the subject?

"Henry I know that putting yourself out there might be unnerving but just think of it as the beginning of your first adventure. It's a chance for you to be brave." Said Belle trying to put things in perspective. "If you can ask Grace out tomorrow then I know you can slay any dragon that comes your way."

"Hmm," said Henry thinking it over. Strangely that analogy made sense. "I think I get what you're saying thanks Belle."

He moved to go upstairs when he turned to look at her. "You're going to tell my moms about this aren't you?"

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Oh Henry, I really don't think they're going to give me a choice in a matter."

Henry just groaned as he made his way up the stairs.

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><p>The next day Regina invited Belle to lunch with Snow and Emma stating "I can't handle a whole meal with the Hope Squad by myself." So when lunch time came she met up with the other women at Granny's. Things were going fine until Regina mentioned Henry's behavior that morning.<p>

"Belle did you notice Henry acting strange this morning?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" said Belle knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"He usually only takes a few minutes to get ready for school but this morning he changed his shirt at least four times and actually tried to comb his hair without me telling him to. It was weird."

"Maybe he was just trying to see if he could find something good enough to distract from that hideous medallion we're forcing him to wear," quipped Emma. Regina glared at her from across the table.

"Is it picture day?" guessed Snow.

"No I would've remembered ordering his pictures." Answered Regina.

"I'm sure he's just excited,"mumbled Belle staring at her plate.

"Excited for what?" questioned Emma.

"Oh, you know… learning," said Belle unconvincingly. Suddenly everyone's eyes were on the librarian. Belle had never really been a good liar and she was sure that the women at the table could tell based on their looks right now. She averted their gaze and pretended to be mystified by her strawberry milkshake.

"Belle," prodded Regina. "What do you know?"

"What are you talking about?" said Belle chuckling nervously.

"She's talking about how you're lying," responded Emma. "And I don't need a superpower to know that. You just suck at it."

Snow giggled from her seat next to her daughter. Belle looked up to protest and say again that she didn't know anything. However she made the mistake of looking into Regina's eyes. Without even realizing it she blurted out what Henry had planned.

"Henry's asking Grace on a date today!" she admitted. Regina raised her eyebrows in shock. Emma's jaw dropped in surprise. Snow however just looked elated at the news. "Really? That's wonderful!"

"How do you know that?" asked Regina finally coming out of her shock.

"He asked me for advice on how to approach her last night." answered belle quietly.

"Wait why's he coming to you for advice?" asked Emma clearly upset. "He has two romantically experienced mothers who are perfectly capable of pointing him in the right direction."

"I'm more concerned with what exactly you said to him." Said Regina pointedly.

"I asked him if he liked Grace and he said that he did but he didn't think that she would be interested. I assured him that any girl would be lucky to have him and that if he was brave enough he should ask her out today." Said Belle timidly.

"You encouraged this?!" said the queen angrily. "What were you thinking? Henry is far too young to be thinking about dating!"

"He's a young teenage boy, Regina." said Snow gently. "From what I understand they hardly think of anything else. And for all we know Grace could be Henry's true love!"

Emma turned her head toward her mother. "He's only fourteen years old Mom! He doesn't need a true love."

"Well you were only 17 when you met Neal," responded Snow.

"Oh cause that worked out so great for her," scoffed Regina. "I don't want Henry coming home with his own… Henry." She couldn't even say the word baby without wanting to vomit. Emma groaned when the same thought crossed her mind.

"Okay that's enough speculating!" interjected Belle. "It's just a small date between two kids and it hasn't even happened yet so everybody just calm down. You know I'm starting to see why he didn't come to you guys."

"Excuse me!" said Regina clearly offended.

"Yeah it's so clear now. He wanted to avoid Emma's awkwardness, your interrogation and Snow's habit of making things a bigger deal than they are." Lectured Belle.

"Hey!" cried Snow.

"Snow she has a point." said Regina. Maybe she was overacting just a little. "Maybe we should dial back the level of importance we place on this milestone."

"Yeah," said Emma finally calming down. "Henry has been very supportive of us entering our new relationships. So we should be just as supportive if he decides to start his own."

A heavy silence fell over the table as the three women thought about the brown-haired boy that they cared about so much.

"I don't like him growing up so fast," said Regina somberly.

"Me neither." replied Emma.

When Henry came home from school that day he had a smile on his face and an obvious spring in his step. Before he'd even said a word to her Regina pulled out her cell and sent a three-word text to Emma.

SHE SAID YES.

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><p><strong>This is going to be a bit of a two-parter with Henry's date taking place next chapter and tons of Madbeauty interaction. Tell me what you think and please review!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the story. It's really tough for me to get through a Sunday with no OUAT to look forward to so I wrote out this chapter. .kanobi thank you for your awesome reviews. This chapter is pretty short but it contains SwanQueen co-parenting and RegalBeliever fluff. Enjoy!**

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><p>Henry and Grace had planned for their date to take place on the following Saturday and as the day approached the Swan-Mills-Charming family grew more anxious for its arrival. Henry had been cornered more times than he cared for by different members of his family. They all tried to give him advice on how to treat Grace and how he should behave on his date. It was all irritating but the biggest bomb dropped the day before his date when his moms told him he would have to bring a chaperone.<p>

"You can't be serious!" he yelled across the kitchen table. Emma and Regina had decided it was best for them to break the news to him together. The two of them were seated across from him.

Regina calmly shrugged her shoulders at her son. "I'm sorry Henry but with Rumpelstiltskin on the loose Emma and I don't think it's safe for you and Grace to be out by yourselves."

"The man has casted you in his New York fantasy, kid. And that means that it's dangerous for you to be alone." Explained Emma.

"So you can't go alone to the date but you can choose whoever you want to chaperone."

"Yeah anyone in the family." added Emma with a smile. She was betting on Henry choosing her. David and Snow weren't an option because neither of them were willing to let her baby brother out of their sight right now. That just left her and Regina. And of course Henry would choose her. Emma was the fun mom and she knew it. There was a better chance of Henry having a good time if she came along. However she didn't take into account one other option.

Right then Belle happened to walk past the kitchen on her way to the library. When Henry saw her he knew she was the only person he was willing to take on his date.

"Fine. I choose Belle." He said firmly.

"Wha- what?!" stammered Emma.

Regina just scrunched her face in confusion. "But belle-"

"Is part of the family." Finished Henry.

"Kid, the whole point of this is to keep you safe and Belle-"

"Has protected me and Grace before at the library. You've already trained her with a gun and Mom has given us both our homing jewelry. Plus if anyone can talk down Rumpelstiltskin it's Belle."

_Damn it those are good points_, thought Emma. Even Regina had trouble coming up with a rebuttal.

"Well that's decided," said Henry standing up and heading for his room.

"Wait Henry!" argued Regina. "We still have to discuss-"

"I can't hear you over the sound of my feet on the stairs!" he yelled as he ran up to his room.

Emma closed her eyes and groaned. "You know this is your fault for letting her live here."

Regina just glared at the blonde.

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><p>After some begging on Henry's part Belle finally agreed to chaperone his date. She would take the kids to Granny's and then the ice skating rink. They'd be home before 9:30.<p>

"You must be loving this." Hissed Regina at the younger brunette. "Taking my son on his first date."

Belle rolled her eyes and groaned as she got ready. "I'll remind you again that this wasn't my idea. Now dealing with your resentment has been so much fun but I would really like to know how long it's going to last."

Regina tilted her head as she pretended to think before answering. "Oh for the next two weeks at least."

"Fantastic," muttered Belle. "You know if you really feel like you're missing out on something special maybe it's because you're terrorizing me and not helping your son get ready."

Regina just pursed her lips and glared as she left to go help her son prepare for his date. Belle let out a breath once she was gone. What had she gotten herself into?

The doorbell interrupted her thoughts. It couldn't be Grace she thought. They were picking her up. As she opened the door she realized that it couldn't have been anyone else.

"Emma and Hook! What a surprise!"

"Hi Belle! We just wanted to see Henry off." Said the blonde shrugging her shoulders.

"Of course. Come in."

"Hey who's at the door?" asked Henry coming downstairs. When he saw his mother and her boyfriend in the foyer he internally groaned.

"Hello master Henry." Greeted Hook jovially wrapping his arm around the young boy.

"I swear I tried to talk her out of coming here but she was insistent." He whispered through his teeth.

"I can believe that," Henry whispered back.

Belle had barely closed the door when the bell rang again. Of course this time it was the Charmings.

"Snow!" said Belle in surprise.

"Hi," said Snow brightly. "Charming and I were just in the neighborhood taking Neal for a walk when we remembered that Henry's date was today. So we thought we'd just come by to wish him good luck."

"We hope you weren't on your way out," said Charming sheepishly as they made their way inside.

"What the hell are all you people you doing in my house?" asked Regina coming down the stairs. She'd really hoped that she would be only one to see Henry off to his date. It'd been a long time since it was just her being present at his milestones.

"We're here to wish Henry good luck obviously." Said Emma.

Regina could see that everyone's presence was making Henry very uncomfortable. All his family members were giving him advice and commenting on his clothing. And of course Snow took three quick Polaroid photos. Before long he slinked off to the kitchen under the guise of getting a drink and she followed. She found him just sitting at the counter staring at his hands trying to be calm.

"Are you okay sweetheart?"

"I just don't get why everyone's making such a big deal about this. It's only a date." He said in disbelief.

Regina looked at her son. "Do you remember when we went out for ice cream when you lost your memories?"

"Yeah we were by the pond."

"Do you remember what I said?"

"You told me that one day I would have so much family I wouldn't know what to do with them all." He smiled.

"Right. Well this is one of those times that you just won't know what to do with us." She laughed. "Henry we're so proud of the person you've become and everyone just wants you to know that. This is just another opportunity for us to show it."

"Fine but promise me you won't let Grandma take anymore photos." he said heading out of the kitchen.

"Please! The next time she pulls out that camera I'm incinerating it." Chuckled Regina following her son.

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><p>After nearly half an hour of unnecessary photos and advice Belle and Henry finally made their way to Grace's house. As they walked up to the door Belle could tell the boy was slightly nervous.<p>

"Calm down Henry." She said knocking on the door. "I'm sure you and Grace will have a great time and I promise to stay out of your way."

"Thanks Belle." Said Henry.

When Grace answered the door she had her hair-up in a high bun and was wearing a lovely maroon turtleneck sweater. She smiled at her date shyly. "Hi Henry."

"Hi Grace." He smiled. "You look… nice."

"Thanks." She said bashfully. A small awkward silence fell between the two before Henry remembered that Belle was also there.

"I hope you don't mind but my moms said I have to bring Belle as a chaperone tonight. I hope that's okay."

Grace raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You know what that's actually fine because it turns out you're not the only one with overprotective parents."

Belle was about to ask her what exactly she meant when Jefferson made his way to the door. "Hi there Henry. I hope you don't mind but I thought it was best if I supervised you two on this date."

_Oh no_, thought Belle.

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><p><strong>So Henry and Belle unexpectedly landed in a double date! What will happen next? Follow the story to find out ;) <strong>

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys welcome back to the story. I know some of you were wondering if there was possibility of Rumbelle getting back together. For the purpose of this story they will not be. However in this chapter Belle will get some romantic moments with our favorite Hatter :) Enjoy!**

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><p>To say the ride to Granny's was awkward was an understatement. No one said a word the entire way there. Belle had tried to convince Jefferson that Grace would be perfectly fine with just her chaperoning but he was adamant that he should be there. He'd even insisted on taking them in his car. She felt so bad for Henry. She was sure this was nothing like he had imagined for the evening.<p>

"Well here we are," said Belle when they finally arrived. When she looked over her shoulder at the kids she could see they were as uncomfortable as ever. Grace's face was still contorted with irritation from her father's supervision and Henry's disappointment was more obvious than the setting sun. That's when Belle decided that she was taking control of this date.

"Shall we go inside," suggested the Hatter.

"You know what," she said, turning to the kids. "Why don't you guys go inside without us? We'll sit out on the patio."

"Really?!" said Grace smiling brightly.

"Wait-"protested Jefferson.

"Absolutely!" interrupted Belle. "Just have Granny send us some hot chocolate and the bill."

Henry and Grace rushed inside eager for the chance to escape their chaperones. Jefferson attempted to rush after them but Belle gripped his arm to prevent him from going any further. "Don't!"

He turned to glare at her. "You had no right to do that."

"Nevertheless it needed to be done." Retorted Belle calmly. "Please I am just trying to make sure that the kids have a decent time tonight. They won't be able to if you're watching their every move."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe their moves need to be watched?" Countered Jefferson.

Belle scoffed at him for insinuating such a thing. They were just two fourteen-year olds yet everyone seemed to be overacting. Then she remembered something. "Do you remember when Rumpelstiltskin came to the library? You said that you owed me for protecting Grace. Well I am calling in that debt. Let them eat inside by themselves while we sit out here. We can even take turns watching through the window if you want."

The Hatter groaned at her words. He did owe her for her actions at the library. Grace had talked about her bravery for days. He also had to admit that he was curious about the courageous librarian. He supposed this was as good a time as any to get know her. So he begrudgingly took a seat at one of the patio table sets. "Fine."

"Thank you," she said as Granny brought out their hot chocolate.

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><p>"They seem to be having a good time in there," observed Belle thirty minutes later. Henry and Grace were laughing and eating at their booth inside. She had been periodically checking in on them through the window. Jefferson only rolled his eyes in response.<p>

"You know you might have a better time if you loosened up." She suggested, sitting next to him. "Grace might have a better time too."

"I know you might think of me as being over protective but the truth is I'm just traditional," he said. "In the Enchanted Forest I would be perfectly within my rights to accompany Grace on her first date."

"I don't know if it escaped your attention but we are no longer in the Enchanted Forest. And for most of the women here that is a very good thing," pointed out Belle. "In my opinion when it comes to Grace you might want to let go of some of your traditional values."

"Is that your advice as a parent?" challenged Jefferson.

"That's my advice as a daughter," retorted Belle firmly. She might not have a child like everyone else but she knew what it was like to have an overprotective parent. Jefferson raised his eyebrows at her, encouraging her to continue. Belle sighed before beginning her story.

"When I was young my mother died protecting me from ogres. Once that happened my father became drastically protective of me. He didn't even tell me how she died until I tried to discover the truth by journeying to another kingdom. Once I came back he practically kept me under lock and key. I was never alone. A few weeks later he tried to arrange for me to marry the strongest knight in the kingdom. Gaston might have been strong but he had no intelligence and a bottomless pit of pride. I wasn't in love with him and my father refused to acknowledge that. He just insisted that marrying Gaston would insure that I was protected long after he was gone. It all became so overbearing that when Rumpelstiltskin showed up at the castle and offered to save my people in exchange for my freedom… it felt like more of an escape than a punishment. I was Rumple's slave but I felt like I had more freedom with him than with my own father. Looking back it's probably one of the reasons I fell in love with him."

Jefferson watched Belle as she talked about her past. He'd always wondered how someone so seemingly intelligent and beautiful could fall into a marriage with Rumpelstiltskin. Though he sympathized with her for the troubles of her youth he couldn't help but wonder about how it felt for her father to lose his only child to the Dark One. "How did you father react to your love for the Dark One?"

"He tried to send me across the town line," she answered sadly. "He wanted me to forget my time in the Enchanted Forest so I would forget that I loved Rumpelstiltskin. He thought it better to erase everything that I am than to accept the one part of me that he disagreed with. I know my father always wanted to protect me but he was never interested in understanding me."

"Do you still speak with him often?"

"He gave me away at my wedding but I haven't seen him since then. I'd rather not hear him say I told you so." Belle hadn't seen her father at all recently but she was sure that he had heard of the dissolution of her marriage so it was only a matter of time before he made an appearance.

Jefferson took a minute to think about all that Belle had told him. He didn't want Grace to avoid him like Belle avoided her father. She had been so honest with him he thought it necessary to give his own story. "Before the curse Grace and I were living on our own in the forest. We weren't exactly rolling in wealth but we were happy. When Regina showed up and offered to pay me for a portal jumping trip I wasn't eager to go but I saw it as an opportunity to finally give Grace a chance at the future she deserved. She begged me not to leave but I promised that I would come back for her. As you probably know Regina betrayed me on the trip and stranded me in Wonderland. I hate that realm but the worse part of it all was thinking of how I'd abandoned Grace. How many nights she must've waited for me. All the times she was afraid and I wasn't there. When I finally reunited with her I promised myself that I would never let her feel like I was unreachable again. It might seem like I'm being overprotective but I just want her to know that I'm not going anywhere."

Belle smiled at the hatter's admission. She could tell that the man clearly cared for his daughter more than anything. "You can let her know that you're there for her but you also have to give her the space to become her own person. That way when she does make those mistakes she'll know she can lean on you."

Jefferson smiled at her. Her advice, though unsolicited, had made an impact on him. She was wiser than he'd expected her to be.

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><p>Once Henry and Grace had finished their dinner the group headed over to the ice rink. It wasn't the most popular place in town but during the winter it really drew in a crowd. White string lights were hung from the ceiling and they reflected off the ice beautifully. It was the perfect setting for a date. When they pulled up Belle urged the kids to go inside while she and Jefferson remained in the car.<p>

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Do you see that black town car on the corner?" she asked nodding her head toward the vehicle sitting a block away. "Well it's been following us since Granny's."

"Rumpelstiltskin?" asked Jefferson alarmed. He had hoped to avoid another showdown with the dark sorcerer.

"No but I think I have a pretty good idea who it is," she said pulling out her cell phone. She waited through three long rings before the person on the other line picked up.

"Hello," answered Regina smoothly.

"Okay I'm just going to get straight to the point and say that I can see you." said Belle bluntly.

"What are you talking about?" said Regina coyly.

"Don't play dumb Regina." Said Belle firmly. "Just a tip: the next time you glamour your car to stalk your son remember to change the numbers on your license plate."

Regina was silent for a minute. "Damn it."

"Yeah. Let Emma know that I can see her in the backseat from here and then put me on speakerphone."

There was shuffling in the background before the Belle heard Emma speak.

"Hi Belle. How's it going?" she said awkwardly.

"You both need to leave." Commanded Belle ignoring her greeting. "I am handling everything here and it is going fine but it will explode if Henry knows you followed him here."

"Well maybe I'd have more faith in your supervision of my son's date if you weren't distracted by your own." said Regina.

Belle was confused for a minute before she realized she was talking about Jefferson. "This is not a date! We are co-chaperones and nothing more. Besides you should be happy this means double the supervision. So please just leave. If Henry finds out you're here he will be so embarrassed and you know he will never forgive you for it."

Regina rolled her eyes but she knew the bookworm was right. "Fine! We'll head back to the mansion but keep your goo-goo eyes in your head and pay attention to my son."

Belle just hung up the phone without responding. She watched as the town car pulled away, satisfied that she'd helped Henry avoid a major embarrassment.

"You know I'm starting to see what you mean about a protective streak being dangerous," quipped Jefferson as they headed inside.

The night went smoothly from there. The kids were having a lot of fun on the ice. Belle even got a cute candid photo of Henry helping Grace put on her ice skates.

"Snow forced the camera into my purse." she explained when Jefferson looked at her strangely.

Looking out at all the people on the ice Belle became wistful. When she was younger she and her mother had gone ice skating every winter. She hadn't been in so long she really missed it. "I think I'm going to rent some skates," she said suddenly. "Care to join me?"

"I don't think I will." He said apprehensively. "Skating has never really been my forte."

"Oh c'mon." said Belle dragging him to the rental booth. "I'll help you learn. Besides I hate to skate alone."

It took some persuasion on her part but she finally convinced the Hatter to get on the ice. As he stated before skating was not one of his skills. He fell at least three times in the first ten minutes but he was always a good sport about it. With Belle's help however he came to gain a small semblance of balance and actually started to enjoy himself.

"It seems your instruction has turned me into an almost capable skater," he laughed.

Belle smiled at him as she glided around him smoothly. She was glad he was having a good time. She checked the time on her watch. "It's getting late." She said. "I'm going to get the kids. Do you think you can make to the exit on your own?"

"With my enhanced skills? Of course." He said brightly. As soon as she turned her back to him he clung to the rink barrier for dear life and made his way to the exit.

The drive to the mansion was livelier than the one to Granny's. Everyone was in a much better mood than before and more eager to talk about how they'd enjoyed the ice rink. When they pulled up to the mansion Grace insisted on heading inside to say hello to Regina but Belle was sure that she just wanted the chance to say goodbye to Henry without her father there. She was on her way inside when Jefferson said he wanted to speak with her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No!" he said quickly. "It's just… I had a really nice time getting to know you tonight."

"It was nice to get to know you too." she said. And she really meant that. She had really connected with the Hatter while they chaperoned Henry and Grace. She hadn't expected to have such a good time.

"I was just wondering if you would like to continue getting to know each other some other time without the kids."

Belle's eyebrows rose as she realized what was happening. "You mean like a date?"

"Yes," he clarified. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

She hadn't expected that either.

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><p>Rumpelstiltskin fumed as he watched the Hatter and Belle talk through his magic mirror. This couldn't be happening! She was moving on from him! In a fit of anger he bashed in the mirror with his cane. <em>I've been moving too slowly, <em>he thought taking deep breaths. _It's time to speed things up._

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><p><strong>DUN DUN DUN! Will Belle say yes to the date? What has Rumple got up his sleeve? Stay tuned to find out!<strong>

**Seriously though let me know what you think. Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Two chapters in two days! I am on a roll! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Okay we've waited until the morning! Tell us how the date went!" demanded Emma.<p>

As soon as Grace had left the mansion last night Henry and Belle were immediately bombarded by all of Henry's female relatives. They had waited up to shower him in questions about his date. Belle had managed to hold them off by promising that they would tell them everything the next morning. However the next morning she and Regina had woken up to a note from Henry stating that he had gotten up early to go to the stables with David before school started which meant that Belle was now their only source of information. As much as she could understand it she still despised him a little for bailing on her. Now she was sitting at Granny's as the women grilled her about last night.

"What exactly do you expect me to know?" she asked. "I tried to give them their space for the evening."

"Well did he open the door for her?" asked Snow excitedly. "Or pull out her chair for her?"

"Yes he was the perfect gentleman." Said Belle smiling.

"Of course he was," said Regina. "I've always raised him to respect the women around him."

"I actually have a really cute photo from last night," said Belle digging the Polaroid out of her purse. "He was helping her put her skates on at the rink."

Belle turned away as the women cooed over the small photo. Last night had ended on a bit tailspin for her and she was still reeling. Regina looked over to see Belle deep in thought. "Belle what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important," she said snapping out of her reverie.

"There you go sucking at lying again." said Emma looking up from the photo.

"Is something bothering you Belle?" asked Snow.

Belle looked over the table at the three women. She could tell there was no use in lying they would see right through her. "Jefferson asked me out."

The three women looked at her in shock. And just like that Henry's date was put on the backburner.

"He asked you out on a date?" said Snow incredulously.

"What did you say?" asked Emma with her eyes wide.

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><p>"<em>Would you like to go on a date with me?"<em>

_Belle stared at the Hatter in shock. She really hadn't seen this coming. However, they did have a good time that night and she did kind of want to get to know him better. Maybe they could be good together. She really wanted to say yes but when she looked into his eyes she knew that she couldn't. _

"_Jefferson I had such a good time with you tonight but I can't agree to go on a date with you." _

"_Oh," he said filled with disappointment. _

"_It's not you I promise!" she said quickly. "For some crazy reason I opened up with you faster than I have with anyone in my entire life and that was amazing. Honestly tonight was the most carefree I have been in weeks but the problem is that I am not carefree. I am actually drowning in emotional problems left over from my marriage. I'm still struggling to get over a man who betrayed me and quite possibly still sees me as his. And I still feel like I barely know who I am without him. I'm just… a mess. I would love to be able to say yes to you right now but the truth is… I'm just not ready yet." _

_She really hadn't planned to say all those things but they just poured out of her before she could stop them. She couldn't understand it. What was it about the man in front of her made her feel like she could just say anything? _

_Jefferson looked at the woman in front of him. Asking her out hadn't really been something he planned but when she was about to go inside he suddenly felt like he couldn't let her leave without taking the chance. He could see now that he had moved too quickly for her. The beautiful librarian looked genuinely overwhelmed at the idea of starting anything close to a romantic relationship. _

"_I understand," he said nodding his head. "I'm sorry if I put you on the spot." _

"_Oh please don't apologize," said Belle with a touch of embarrassment. "I'm actually flattered. You're the first man to actually ask before taking me out." _

_For a minute an awkward silence filled the air. Then Jefferson remembered something. "Do you remember when we were at the library and you said you owed me for staying?"_

"_Yes," she said with a small chuckle. _

"_Well I'd like to call in that debt," he said with a smile. "I completely understand that you're not ready to go out with me and I promise not to push you on that but I want you to know that I think you are very special. I don't see you as someone who could be just a fling for me. I actually think that we could have something truly amazing together and I'd hate to miss that chance. So is there any way that you could promise me that if there is a day when you are ready for something romantic that I will have an opportunity to throw my hat in the ring?" _

_Belle smiled at him. "I promise you'll be considered."_

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><p>"I said no," answered Belle solemnly.<p>

"Was he angry?" said Snow with concern in her eyes.

"No," she said wistfully. "He was actually very understanding and kind to me."

"You seem a little upset about turning him down," observed Regina.

"It's just… it was so nice being with him," said Belle. "He listened to me and we had fun together."

"Then why did you say no?" asked Snow.

"Because I wasn't ready," she said shrugging. "I wanted so badly to say yes but I just couldn't. Is that crazy?"

"Absolutely not!" said Emma firmly. "You had your heart broken Belle. It is completely understandable if you're not ready to put yourself out there yet."

Regina nodded her head in agreement. "You made the right choice for you and that's what important."

"Yeah," said Snow. "Plus when you are ready you'll know what to expect because you've already been on a date with him."

"It wasn't a date," said Belle earnestly.

"Well, did he pay the bill?" asked Snow.

"Yes but-"

"Did you both participate in a fun activity together?" asked Emma smirking.

"Well we ice skated but-"

"Did you talk about an emotional topic that you thought didn't bother you but that you actually really needed to get off your chest?" added Regina.

"Yes," said Belle quietly.

"IT WAS A DATE!" cried the three women in unison.

Belle just threw her head in her hands trying to hide her embarrassment. She hated that they were right. Luckily soon after Snow's cell phone pinged with a message from her husband.

"I just got a message from Charming. He said that he and Henry talked at the stables and he has all the details about Henry's date!" she said excitedly throwing money on the table. "I better meet him at home so I can hear everything!"

"Wait for me!" exclaimed Emma rushing after her mother.

Regina however stayed in her seat.

"Aren't you going to rush off to the loft too?" asked Belle.

"No," sighed Regina. "I have a date with Robin and Roland in the forest. I guess I have to wait for my darling son to open up to me himself."

She studied Belle from across the table. "Are you sure you're okay with your decision?"

"Yeah," said Belle after a moment. "Like you said I did what was right for me. And he understood."

"Well I don't say this often but I am here if you want to talk."

"I know," Said Belle with a smile. "You should head to your date."

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><p>When Regina left the diner she fully intended to make her way to the forest to meet up with her boyfriend. But as soon as she saw Jefferson making his way toward Granny's she knew there was something she had to do first.<p>

"Hatter we need to have a conversation," she said stalking toward him.

Jefferson rolled his eyes as soon as he say the former approach him. "Regina! It's never a pleasure to see you! What do you want?"

"I want you to give Belle the space she asked for. Stay away from her Jefferson."

"Well look at you!" said Jefferson with a smirk, folding his arms across his chest. "All dressed up in big sister's clothes coming to warn me off."

"I'm serious Hatter." Said Regina with a straight face. "She might look tall and strong on the outside but if you force your way into her heart and then break it she will be destroyed."

"Of all the men in her life what makes you think that I'll be the one to destroy her?" questioned Jefferson.

"Because as I recall destroying young girls was something you had no problem doing for right amount of gold," growled Regina.

Jefferson dropped the sarcasm at the allusion to their history together. Tricking Regina in order to leave her hopeless for Rumpelstiltskin was one of the things he was most ashamed of.

"I am not that person anymore." He said firmly. "I changed for my daughter and you of all people should understand that."

"I do understand that which is why I am counting on you being a decent person for once and respecting what she needs. Give her the time she needs to heal properly."

"Belle told me everything she needed last night and I fully intend on giving her the time and space she requires. You don't have to warn me off." Said Jefferson solemnly.

"I better not," Said Regina. "Because you and I both know how I react to someone I care about being hurt."

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><p>In the forest Robin and Roland were very excited for Regina to come visit them at their camp, especially Robin. Marian might have accepted his feelings for Regina but she was still apprehensive about the queen spending time with their son. It took him days to convince her that Roland would be fine if he spent the day at the park with Regina.<p>

"Are you excited about going to the park today, son?" he asked Roland.

"Yes!" exclaimed the small boy. "I can't wait to see 'Gina again. I missed her."

"I know you have," said Robin. Roland and Regina had become rather close during the missing year and he could see that his son sorely noticed her absence lately. "But before we can see her we still have chores to do around the camp, remember? You have to pick out the kindling for the fire. Try to stay close to camp, okay?"

"Okay," drawled the toddler before waddling off. Roland walked just south of the camp to pick up the kindling. He filled his arms with small branches as quickly as he could. He was starting to make his way back to the camp when he felt himself sink into the ground up to his knees. He cried out in shock as he struggled to lift his legs.

"Don't fight it dearie. You might break something."

Roland's eyes widened in fear as he saw Rumpelstiltskin come out from behind a tree. He tried to call out for his father but the dark wizard twisted his scarf around his mouth.

"Don't worry lad. I'm not going to hurt you," said Rumple kneeling down to the struggling boy's eye level. "In fact you're going to be very useful to me."

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><p><strong>GASP! What does Rumpelstiltskin have planned for Roland? Stay tuned to find out!<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed this. Please review and tell me so!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Just a heads up Marian will make her first appearance in this chapter and she will not be nice. One thing I am going to ask is that you forgive Marian for her cruel words. I want you to remember that she is under a lot of stress and that makes people irrational. Okay enjoy!**

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><p>When Regina arrived at the Merry Men's camp everyone was in a panic. No one even noticed her pull up in her Mercedes. She looked over the camp in the confusion. All the men were running around shouting one word.<p>

"Roland!"

"Roland!"

"Roland!"

Her chest filled with panic when she realized who they were searching for. In all the hysteria she managed to spot Robin. He was frantically asking anyone he came in contact with if they'd seen his son. She didn't have to imagine what he was feeling. She had felt it four years ago when she went pick Henry up from school and found out that he hadn't even shown up.

"Robin what happened?!"

"I sent Roland out to do some chores and he's been missing for an hour now! We can't find him anywhere!"

She felt a heavy fear settle in her heart. Over the missing year she had come to love Roland. When she was still torturing herself over losing Henry he had been the only one who could make her smile. Her affection for him only grew when she and Robin began dating. She knew that with Marian coming back things had become more complicated but she couldn't help feeling like the little boy was already her son. She would be devastated if anything happened to him. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Okay I can help just try to stay calm. I'm going to pop into my vault and get something that can help," she said as calmly as possible. "We will find him."

She swirled herself to her vault and less than ten seconds. When she came back she had a bottle filled with a purple liquid.

"What is that?" asked Robin.

"It's a locator spell," she answered. "Ever since Emma went missing when she had her magic problems I thought it best to just have them on hand if I ever needed them. Now I need something of his to pour it on."

"Here," he said shoving her Roland's stuffed monkey. "He never goes anywhere without this."

If Regina wasn't so worried she would be touched. Instead she just quickly poured the spell over the toy animal and waited for it to take effect.

"What happens now?" asked Robin.

"Once it takes effect it should start floating and lead us right to him," she said. Seconds later the monkey began to rise and Robin yelled for everyone to follow it. They'd been following it for less than ten minutes when they started to hear Roland's voice.

"Papa!"

"I can hear him!" cried Robin running toward the voice. "Roland!"

They followed the voice to a small clearing where they found nothing but Roland's jacket and a compact mirror.

"What is this? Where's Roland?" asked Robin.

"I don't understand. The spell should have led us right to him!" said Regina with frustration.

"Where is the voice coming from?" asked Little John. They could all still hear Roland calling out for his father.

"It's gotta be coming from the mirror," said Regina going for the small compact. The minute she opened it a small hologram of Roland appeared. The little boy was crying out for his father with tears in his eyes. It broke her heart.

"Roland!" she cried.

"Roland my boy! Where are you?" asked Robin looking at the small mirror.

"Well that's enough of that don't you think," said Rumple as he replaced Roland in the hologram. "Your cries of anguish are quite grating."

"Rumpelstiltskin," growled Regina. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Isn't obvious dearie," he replied. "I'm kidnapping your lover's child."

Robin shivered with anger. "If you lay one hand on my son-"

"Keep your threats to yourself thief. They hardly matter to me," said Rumple. "This is between me and the queen."

"Listen here you vindictive little imp!" snarled Regina. "If Roland is not returned with every hair in place I swear I will rip out your heart and FEED IT TO THE DOGS!"

"I am so glad you feel that way," said Rumpelstiltskin with a smile, "because I am willing to give him back for a price."

"What do you want?"

"Simple. I want my wife back." Answered Rumpelstiltskin.

"What?" said Regina.

"You heard me. I want Belle," said the malicious imp. "I've left her under your influence for far too long. So tonight when the sun goes down you, and only you, will come here and deliver her to me. No back up, no magic, just you and Belle. Then and only then will I give you back the boy. If you refuse he'll simply stay in my hands and I promise you, dearie, you will never see him again."

Regina trembled with anger at Rumpelstiltskin's demands. She had never hated him more than she did at this moment.

"You have 'til sun down to think it over," he tittered. "Be sure to make the right choice."

And with that the hologram shut down. Regina shrieked out her frustration.

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><p>The Charming loft was filled with noise upon the news of Roland's abduction. Everyone was yelling out questions and strategies and yet no one knew what to do. The only silent person in the room was Belle herself. She sat quietly on the stairs with her arms wrapped around herself. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Just last night she had been ice skating. Now it was like she was in hell.<p>

"Going alone is a terrible idea. It leaves you completely vulnerable." Said Charming.

"What if you glamour me and I take Belle's place? I can fight him off with my light magic," suggested Emma.

"He would be able to feel the magic besides he'd definitely be able to tell if it wasn't her. He has been in love with Belle for years." Said Regina shooting down the blonde's idea.

"Well then why don't you offer up a solution _your majesty_? I mean this is your fault." said Marian venomously. She had never liked that Robin wanted to include the Evil Queen in her son's life. She knew it could come to no good. And now Roland had been abducted by the Dark One because of her.

"Hey, the only person to blame here is Rumpelstiltskin." Said Snow trying to play peacekeeper.

"I understand your anger Marian but your snide comments will not save our son." Seethed Robin.

"No what would have saved our son is if you had done the smart thing and kept this monster out of his life!" she yelled Marian gesturing toward Regina.

"How dare you question my decisions as a parent?!" he yelled. He had been very supportive and respectful of his former wife's parenting role with Roland but at this moment he had enough of her challenging Regina's bond with Roland. He had raised Roland for years before she returned to his life. She had no right to dictate who he allowed in his child's life. Regina was their only hope of getting Roland back.

Soon everyone was shouting at everyone. _This is useless_, thought Belle. She stalked over to the kitchen, picked up the least attractive mug and slammed it on the ground. Everyone jumped at the sound of the porcelain shattering on the floor. They all turned to look at the woman who had smashed the offending mug.

"I'm sorry about that mug Snow. I hope it wasn't important to you but it seemed like the best way to get everyone's attention," she said calmly. She wasn't wrong. Everyone's eyes were focused on the eerily calm librarian as she continued to speak.

"Now everyone listen to me. There will be no rescue plan. There will be no tricks, no strategies or backup. There will only be the deal. Regina tonight you will follow Rumple's instructions and trade me to get Roland back."

"Belle, please think about this," said Regina walking over to her. "You have no idea what that man has planned for you."

"Like you said he's in love with me," said Belle taking Regina hands. "He might be delusional but he's not going to harm me. I'm a part of his fantasy. He needs me."

"Belle you can't trust that."

"I have to," she said with tears in her eyes. "Do you remember when talked in the library when I first came to stay with you? You told me I needed to figure out who I am. Well this is who I am. I am Belle French. I don't put my own safety over a child's life. I face the monsters to keep them safe. I've done it before and I'll do it again. "

"Belle please just give me some time," begged Regina. "I can come up with a way to save both of you. I know I can."

"Really?" said Belle. "Are you willing to bet Roland's life on that?"

Regina looked at the brave young brunette with tears in her eyes. The bookworm had gotten so far under her skin and she hadn't even realized it. She didn't the deserve this but she couldn't lie. She shook her head sadly. "No."

Belle smiled as her sadly. "Then it's settled. Tonight you're taking me to the forest."

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><p><strong>So Belle is being traded for Roland. What does this mean for her future? Will Rumple keep his word and give back Roland? Stay tuned to find out! <strong>

**Remember to follow and review please!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Replies to reviews...**

** .kanobi: Just because they aren't going to be happy together doesn't mean there still isn't stuff that needs to be said. **

**lulu2613: Rumple does know the pain of losing a child but that has never kept him from inflicting that pain on others. He manipulated Snow and Charming's lives specifically so they would lose Emma and she would break the curse. When they first met he took Belle away from her father with the intention of never returning her. **

**authorlouise: You're right as much as an awesome twist that would be I could never do that to cute little Roland! **

**Okay so here's chapter 13. It contains a snippet of our favorite adorable baby hobbit and a long overdue Rumbelle conversation. Enjoy!**

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><p>Belle had managed to get everyone to give her a few hours by herself before they met with Rumpelstiltskin. Not that they would have denied her anything at this point. She decided to head back to Regina's mansion sit on the back porch. She just wanted to take a moment and feel the open air. She doubt she'd get the chance to do that again anytime soon. It was like she was back at the beginning of her story, giving up her freedom to a beast. She dreaded being trapped by Rumpelstiltskin again but it was worth it to make sure Roland was returned. She looked out on the horizon. It was like she'd never seen the sun determined to set before. Soon it was time for them to go.<p>

"Are you ready?" asked Regina.

"No," she said standing up. "But I don't suppose this is something you can really be ready for."

"I'm so sorry Belle," said Regina sadly. She had promised Belle a safe place to get away from Rumpelstiltskin and now she was handing her over in a deal with the devil.

"Don't be," said Belle earnestly. "You have to save that little boy."

No part of her blamed Regina for the situation that she was in. She had come so far from the woman who had locked her away. Belle knew that if Regina had it her way both she and Roland would be safe in the mansion by now.

"We should go," she said solemnly. Regina only nodded. As they made their way to the door they soon heard the rapid thunder of Henry running down the stairs.

"Wait!" he cried. "Don't leave yet!"

"Henry," said Regina sorrowfully. "You know the deal. You can't come with us."

"I know," he said sadly. "I just wanted to give Belle something."

He then handed her a thick, leather-bound journal complete with a locking strap. Belle held the journal and looked at him curiously.

"Well I know you won't have many people to talk to once this is done. So this is just a place to put your thoughts." He said quietly.

"Thank you Henry. That's so kind of you." Said Belle tearfully hugging him. She doubted that she would have the time to journal but it was still a beautiful gesture.

"Don't worry about me," she whispered. "I'll be back in time for your next date."

"I know," he said letting her go.

"Okay," said Belle turning to Regina. "Now I'm ready to go."

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><p>The forest was silent when the two women arrived at the meeting spot. It was as if even the birds didn't dare to speak. As they walked into the clearing the air felt heavy with tension. Regina looked at Belle with questioning eyes silently communicating her thoughts. <em>Are you sure? <em>Belle nodded her head.

"Rumpelstiltskin! I summon thee!" called out Regina.

"You don't have to shout dearie. I was already on my way." said the sorcerer materializing. He turned his eyes toward his wife. "Belle it's good to see you."

She only glared in return. "I'm here just like you wanted. Now where is Roland?"

With a wave of Rumpelstiltskin's hand Roland appeared in the clearing. He was clearly terrified but physically he looked no worse for wear. His eyes lit up when he saw Regina. "Gina!"

Rumple froze his feet before he could run to her. "Not so fast," he tittered. "Belle comes to me first."

Regina and Belle shared one last look before she crossed over the clearing. Only when she reached Rumpelstiltskin's side did he release Roland. He ran to Regina as fast as he could and she threw her arms around him in relief.

"Roland! Sweetheart are you alright?" she said checking him for scars and marks.

He nodded frantically. "I was scared but I knew you would save me. I missed you Gina."

"I missed you too Roland." She said hugging him.

Belle watched their reunion unfold with a smile. Roland was safe and that made her own sacrifice worth everything.

"Okay Roland. I need you to stand still for me because I'm going to send you back to your daddy okay?" said Regina.

"Okay." He said. She kissed his forehead before sending him to the loft where Robin and Marian were waiting for him. Once he was gone she turned to Rumpelstiltskin with a scowl on her face.

"This isn't over imp!" she growled. "I don't care what you have up your sleeve. I'll find a way to get back Belle and protect her from you!"

"She needs no protection from me," said Rumpelstiltskin smugly. "Besides even if she did why would she come to you? You couldn't even protect your own sister."

Regina's eyes widened at the mention of Zelena. "What are you talking about?"

Rumple chuckled at her. "Come on Regina. Did you really believe that she killed herself? You and I both know how easy it is for a magician to alter a security tape."

Regina's chest heaved with rage as she realized what he was admitting. "You… murdered my sister!" she seethed.

The imp just smiled at her. "Yes I did. And you wouldn't believe how easy it was."

Belle stared at Rumple in shock. She had never been more disturbed by him her entire life. She watched as he taunted his former apprentice about the death of her sister. Even Regina was stunned into silence.

"Well we better be off," he said grabbing Belle's hand. "I'll see you around Regina. It's always such a pleasure to do business with you."

And with that he and Belle swirled away leaving Regina alone in the clearing. As soon as they were gone she cried out in fury and hurled several fireballs into the air.

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><p>Belle and Rumple materialized in the mansion where they had spent their honeymoon a second later. As soon as she felt her feet on solid ground she ripped her hand from his.<p>

"Let go of me," she said walking away from him.

"Now wait just a minute darling," said Rumple freezing her feet. "I think it's time we had a talk."

She glared at her former husband. "I may have to stay here with you but that does not mean I have to acknowledge your presence."

"Oh I beg to differ," he said releasing her. "I know that you're angry at me right me now but I brought you here so we can work out our differences."

"I don't want to work out our differences," said Belle heading for the stairs. "It is quite clear to me that they are irreconcilable."

"Belle please," said Rumple. "Are you really willing to throw away our marriage over a few mistakes?"

That made her stop in her tracks. Belle didn't want to give him the satisfaction of her attention but that sentence was something that she just couldn't let pass. She faced him with incredulity on her face. "Excuse me? Did you just say that I'm the one who threw away our marriage?"

"_You_ are the one who left _me_ Belle," he said with a straight face.

"Oh my god," she said. He was actually trying to put the blame on her. "Rumple you're the one who threw away this marriage before it even started. We were doomed the minute you killed Zelena."

"She murdered my son," he said venomously. "Are you really going to stand there and pretend that her death was such a tragedy?"

"HER DEATH WAS NOT THE ISSUE!" shouted Belle. She took a deep breath before continuing. "That day in the shop when I gave you the dagger I handed you all my faith and all my trust. I believed in you with everything I had. I loved you. When you gave it back to me I thought it was sign of trust. Proof that you believed in my love for you just as much as I did. But now I know that it was fake. You knew you were going to kill Zelena long before I walked in. So you decided to trick me. You gave me a fake dagger to fool everyone into thinking you were under my control. You took my love and my trust in you and you used it as an alibi. You once said that you couldn't comprehend why after everything that you'd done I still remained by your side. Well now, neither can I."

Rumple at least had the decency to look ashamed as his former wife pointed out his treachery. She was right. He was the reason that their marriage crumbled but that didn't mean he was giving up on them. Belle was his light. And so long as he was in the darkness he would never stop reaching for her.

"I am sorry Belle," he said. "I truly am but I won't give up on you. I love you too much for that."

"I know you do," she said sadly. "But I also know that your love for me will never be enough to bring you out of the darkness. I don't love you anymore Rumpelstiltskin. And now that I've seen you for what you are I never will again."

"I know you don't," he said resignedly. "But I can make you."

Belle's eyes widened as he pulled a purple stone out of his pocket. "Is that-"

"A memory stone? Yes it is." he said holding it out. "Once I use this you will forget all my pesky misdeeds and you will love me just as you did before."

Belle suddenly felt extremely nauseous. It was like she was once again in a cart racing for the town line being forced to lose her memories.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to use it just yet." Said Rumple shoving the stone back in his pocket. "I still have a few errands to run first."

She stared at him horror. What else could he possibly have planned? She looked around the mansion trying to find a reasonable exit.

"If you're planning on escaping you should know that all the exits are sealed with blood magic," he said.

"Whatever it is you're planning you won't get away with it. I won't let you!" she cried. She then shivered as he caressed her cheek.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that dearie," he said creepily. "Once I come back you and I will have the life we have always wanted."

He smoked out of the room leaving Belle alone and frightened. She futilely tried to open the doors only to be knocked back by Rumple's dark magic. She thought about phoning someone for help but realized that Rumple had blocked any kind of cell reception. She was trapped in the mansion with no way out.

_Well if I can't warn the others_, she thought, _maybe I can warn myself_. She grabbed the journal that Henry had given her and sat down to write a note to her future self revealing all of Rumpelstiltskin's treachery. However, when she opened the diary she found that all the pages had been cut out. Inside the hollow book she found Henry's medallion homing device.

"Oh Henry!" she whispered. "You magnificent genius!"

She held the medallion close and pressed down on the stone as hard as she could while closing her eyes.

"Take me home," she whispered hopefully.

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><p><strong>Looks like Rumple's still got one trick up his sleeve. What ever could it be? Stay tuned to find out!<strong>

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

Belle felt a rush of magic around her and when she opened her eyes she was in the backyard of Regina's mansion. She let out a happy cry of relief and rushed in through the backdoor. She stopped in her tracks once she walked through the door. As happy as she was to be there she hadn't expected the sight before her. All the windows of the house were shattered. The cabinets in the kitchen were tilted and unhinged. And everything in the house seemed to be vibrating. She could hear voices from upstairs and she headed toward the library. She found the entire charming clan plus Hook talking animatedly to each other.

"Henry!" she cried rushing into the room.

"Belle!" he said running to hug her.

"Belle?" said Emma staring at the librarian in shock. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought Regina had traded you to Rumpelstiltskin."

"She did but your clever, clever son helped me escape," she said brightly. Henry relayed his plan to the rest of the room.

"That was absolutely genius kid," said Emma with a smile. "but it was risky. What happens when Gold finds out that Belle escaped?"

"We have a little time before that storm comes," answered Belle. "He left to do something as soon as he traded for me. How is Roland?"

"He is fine," answered Snow quickly. "Marian and Robin decided to stay at the loft with us for the night. He's completely safe."

Belle nodded in relief. It was good to know that Rumple hadn't reneged on their deal. "Why are all of you here then? And what happened downstairs?"

Everyone looked at each other awkwardly before Henry answered her. "Belle that was mom. When she got back it was like she brought a storm with her. Dishes started cracking, the windows broke. And it wasn't even her doing it. It was her magic. I didn't think she could control it so I called everyone to come here."

"She's been in her room for a while now," said David somberly. "Things have calmed down a little but she still won't open the door for anyone. She says it's not safe."

"Belle what happened out there?" asked Snow softly. She'd never seen Regina so furious like this. Her stepmother had finally reached a place of peace in her life and Snow didn't want to see her lose that. She was really worried about her.

"While we were out there," said Belle. "Rumpelstiltskin told her that he killed Zelena."

Everyone was stunned to silence at Belle's admission. Rumpelstiltskin had killed Regina's sister. Emma was the first to break the silence. "I think the worst thing is that I'm not even surprised. "

"She killed Neal," said Hook. "There was no way the crocodile was going to let that pass."

"Poor Regina," said Snow shaking her head. She knew better than anyone that losing people was something that Regina had never taken well. No wonder she'd nearly destroyed her house.

"I have to speak with her," said Belle. "I need her to know that I'm back and things are going to be ok."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," said Emma quickly. "Her powers are really out of whack right now."

"I don't care," said Belle. "If there's any chance that I could help her I'll take the risk."

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><p>Belle timidly knocked on the door to the master bedroom. "Regina?"<p>

"Belle?" She heard Regina speak from the other side of the door. Her voice sounded tired. She slowly opened the door. Regina's room had always been pristine. She had always kept everything in its proper place and in perfect condition. It was just a part of her personality. The room Belle saw right now was nothing like Regina's room. Everything was in disarray. The nightstands were flipped over and the bed was practically in ashes. Even more obvious everything was vibrating with Regina's anger. In the center of all the chaos sat Regina. She just sat on the ground taking deep, slow breaths trying to calm herself. The regal air that she usually carried with her was gone. In this moment she wasn't a queen. She was just a woman who was heavy with betrayal and rage. She eyed Belle with suspicion. "What are you doing here?"

Belle approached the other woman with caution. "Henry helped me escape."

Regina smirked silently. "My son, ever the hero."

Belle eyed her warily. She could actually feel the anger radiating off the queen. "Regina, are you okay?"

"What do you think?" she said resentfully. She knew that she wasn't taking this news very well. Hell, everything around her was vibrating. For a long while the two women sat in silence before the Regina spoke again.

"Did you know?" she asked quietly.

Belle looked into her eyes and knew that she couldn't lie. "Yes," she answered softly, nodding her head.

As soon as Belle admitted her knowledge the mirror on Regina's vanity shattered. Belle jumped at the sound of the broken glass. Regina took a deep breath trying to contain her magic. "How long?"

"He told me the day I left him," said Belle tearfully.

"You knew when I asked you to move in here?!" yelled Regina, composure long forgotten. A picture frame flew across the room at the sound of her voice.

"I am so sorry," said Belle sincerely. "I just- I didn't want to set you off or-"

Regina closed her eyes and raised her hand to keep Belle from continuing. "Belle I want you to understand that I am very glad that you are safe. And that one day soon I promise I am going to forgive you. But right now I am too angry to see your face."

"Regina… please," pleaded Belle.

"Get out of my room Bookworm!" yelled Regina turning away from her. "It is not a safe place for you to be!"

Seeing that there was no getting through to her now Belle tearfully left the room with her arms wrapped around herself.

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><p>"Hey how'd it go?" asked Snow upon Belle's return to the library.<p>

"Um terribly," said Belle's honestly. She collapsed into a leather armchair rubbing her temples. It'd been a hell of a day. Emma gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself Belle she's pretty upset."

Belle stilled at Emma's sentence. "You're right. She's really upset."

"Well it's not like that's anything new," said Hook from the corner. "The queen has always had quite a temper."

"No," said Belle standing up. "This time she's really upset. Like never before."

"Belle," drawled Snow. "What's wrong?"

Belle shook her head in realization. "This wasn't about me." She said softly. "This was about Regina!"

"What are you talking about?" said Emma.

"It's so obvious now! This whole trade was about Regina!" she cried. "I mean I'm sure trapping me was a plus but I was never what he really wanted. Think about it! He kidnapped Roland because he knew how much Regina loved him. And let's face it he's easier to get than Henry!"

"And he had Regina trade you," said Charming slowly catching on. "If it was just about you he could have had Robin or Marian lure you there. They have no magic and they're a hell of a lot easier to fight off but he made sure that it was her!"

"But why would he go through all that trouble?" asked Henry.

"Because he wanted to get her in that clearing and taunt her about Zelena,"said Belle dramatically. "Regina is a strong woman it takes a lot to get her off her game like this. He needed to make sure that she was at her angriest and most emotional before delivering that final blow! The kidnapping, the trade, it was all done to make sure that she hated him as much as possible!"

"But why would he do all that just to get her to this place?" asked Emma.

Snow's eyes widened as she realized exactly why Rumpelstiltskin would go through all that trouble.

"He knows that she hid the dagger!" she gasped. "He wants her to go after it so he can take it for himself!"

"And right now she's angry enough to do just that," said Hook clenching his fists. "Manipulative bastard!"

"Okay we need to make sure she doesn't leave this house!" said Emma firmly.

"Oh no…" said Henry looking around the room.

"What's wrong now?" said Charming.

"Nothing in the house is vibrating anymore," he said quietly. Once everyone realized what that meant they all raced toward the master bedroom calling out for the queen. When they opened the door to her room they found it completely empty.

"Oh god," said Snow. "She went after the dagger."

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><p>Rumpelstiltskin watched smugly from the shadows as Regina quietly snuck out of her house. <em>That's right my little puppet,<em> he thought, _lead me to the thing I love the most_.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry it took me so long to update this chapter. It was the first week of school and I was really swamped. Thank you so much for reviewing and following! This chapter is pretty action-packed. It features a major Rumple and Regina fight and a breakthrough. Enjoy!**

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><p>"We have to stop her!" said Snow pacing the room. "If she loses the dagger to Gold there's no way we'll be able to defeat him!"<p>

"Well she isn't in control of her powers which means she'll be reluctant to use them," said Emma, recalling her own experience with her powers. "Her car is in the driveway too which means she's heading for the dagger on foot."

"That's good," said Charming with his hands on his hips. "It means we have a chance to catch up with her before she does anything we'll all regret."

Snow continued to pace the room thinking up a plan. She stopped suddenly then turned to her husband. "Okay, first Charming, you need to go to Leroy and the dwarves. Have them spread the word for everyone to stay in their homes. There is a good chance of a magical battle and we don't want any collateral damage. Also go to Robin maybe he has some idea of where she hid the dagger."

She turned to Emma. "You are going to take Hook and Henry and find someplace safe to hide. If Gold wins he'll be coming to kidnap Henry and take Hook's heart. Belle and I will look for Regina."

"No!" cried Henry. "I want to look for mom. She's hurt and she needs me now."

"Henry," said Belle grabbing his shoulders. "What your mother needs is for you to be safe. Snow and I are excellent trackers. We'll bring her home."

"But-"

"Kid, this is not the time for arguments," said Emma strictly.

"Fine," said Henry. "But we should go to the mayor's office. There's only one entrance and if Rumpelstiltskin comes for us there is an escape tunnel mom told me about that will lead us to the forest."

"Well, you are just filled with good ideas today," said Emma proudly. "Okay let's go."

As the rest of group left the mansion Belle turned to Snow. "Do you have any idea where she could have hidden the dagger?"

"I think the best place to look for her would be the vault," Snow. "It's where her mother and father are buried and when I asked her about the dagger she said it was safe with family."

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><p>Regina stalked through the moonlit forest shaking her hands. Sparks were practically falling off of them.<p>

"The last of my family," she muttered to herself. "He killed the last of my family!"

She practically growled as stomped around thinking of how Rumpelstiltskin had robbed her of the last blood she had in this or any other realm. She could've changed. They could've been something to each other. He wasn't going to get away with this. She wouldn't let him get away with this.

* * *

><p>When Snow and Belle arrived at Regina's vault it was empty. There was no sign that the queen had been there at all. Snow dejectedly looked at her phone.<p>

"David caught up with Robin and he has no idea where Regina could've put the dagger." She sat down and rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Where else could she have hidden it?"

"What exactly did she say when she you asked her about it?" said Belle.

"She said it was safe with family," repeated Snow.

"Safe with family?" muttered Belle softly. She turned quickly to Snow. "What if she didn't mean _her_ family?"

Snow gasped at Belle's words. "She meant his!"

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><p>In the few weeks that he'd been gone Neal's grave had remained perfect. The Charmings made sure that it was meticulously cared for. His head stone showed no ware or tear. There wasn't a chip in sight. It read: BELOVED SON, NEAL CASSIDY. As Regina looked at the grave she felt her anger dim. But only slightly. She hadn't really known Neal that well, nor did she want to when he was alive. In her eyes he'd just been another person she had to battle for Henry's affection. However, she more grateful to him than she preferred to think about. Not only did he warn them about Zelena but without him Henry would never have existed. And Henry was everything.<p>

"I'm so sorry for this Neal," she said raising her hand. Just as she felt the magic at her fingertips her whole body was frozen still.

"Not so fast dearie," said Rumpelstiltskin materializing from the shadows. "I can't have you defacing my son's grave."

"Rumpelstiltskin!" she growled. She felt so much rage at his presence she could hardly comprehend it.

"So this is where you hid it," he said walking toward her slowly. "You took my boy's final resting place and turned it into your own personal lockbox!"

"I figured it'd be the one place you'd be too ashamed to look," she said smugly. Now that she had a physical target for her rage she could feel her magic building up. She broke free of his paralyzing spell and stood defensively in front of Neal's grave. "It doesn't matter what you do, you'll never get your hands on his coffin."

Rumple clenched his fists in front of him. "We'll see about that dearie."

"Well come on then," she said with a smirk. "Give me your best shot."

Everything went still as they glared at each other. For a moment it was as if there was no one else in the world but them. Just a master and his student, each prepared to take out the other.

A flash of red magic lit up the night sky as Rumple shot his first spell at Regina. She expertly materialized out of its path and reappeared in behind Rumple blasting him in his back. He stumbled to his knees as the impact of her magic struck him. He turned and sent her flying into the air with his own magic. Regina let out a shrill scream as she felt the radius in her left arm break as she landed harshly on the ground. She quickly stood to her feet fueled by her rage. She saw Rumple summoning Neal's coffin through the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her stand and send a fireball his way. He quickly deflected it and lifted her from the ground in a magical choke hold.

"It's no use Regina," he said coldly. "You might've been an excellent apprentice but I will always be the master."

He took one last look at her before throwing her into Neal's headstone. He'd always hated it anyway. Neal was not his son's name. Regina groaned as she laid painfully in its rubble. She couldn't move. Rumple stared down at her smile wickedly at her defeat. He dropped his grin as he turned to his son's casket. He saw the dagger imbedded into the top of its door. He tenderly laid his hand on its black surface. He felt a tear go down his cheek.

"I'm so sorry Bae," he said sorrowfully. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the man you wanted me to be."

He took the dagger from the top of the casket and stared at it sorrowfully. He could never be the man Baelfire wanted but he could make sure that he never lost anyone ever again. With one last tear he returned his son to his grave. He let out a deep sigh as he held the dagger close to his chest. No one could control him. Not anymore.

He walked over to Regina and snarled at her.

"You forced me to dig up my own son," he said angrily. "You're going to pay for that."

Regina only laughed in response. "I don't think so."

His eyes widened at her arrogance. He raised his hand ready to inflict the most torturous pain upon his former student. "You little..."

"Stop," she said calmly. Rumpelstiltskin felt his whole body go still at the sound of her voice. He looked around in confusion. "What…?"

"Rule number one to counterfeiting," smirked Regina pulling the real dagger from behind her back. "Always learn to recognize your own fakes."

Rumple stared at the dagger in his hand. It was indeed the fake he had originally given to Belle.

"The real dagger…" he breathed.

"Was in the headstone," sneered Regina slowly standing up. She was in so much pain. Every step she took was agony but her anger allowed her to feel none of it. "Now it's time for me to have my fun."

Rumple just glared at his former student. He knew that she was going to make sure that he suffered. But he would never show weakness in front of her.

Regina gripped the dagger tight in her hand. "Choke," she commanded.

Rumple struggled to stop his hand from going to his own throat but his efforts were useless. As his own hand clamped around his airway he fell to the ground. He looked up at Regina and gritted out, "It doesn't matter… what power you have. You can't…. kill me."

"Who said anything about killing you," she said calmly. "You stole the last piece of blood I had left. You made me think that she would rather die than be a part of my life. You stole my innocence and manipulated my entire life for your own benefit! I'm not going to kill you, Rumple. No, that would be too good for you. You're going to suffer. Just like you made me suffer."

"Regina stop!"

"Belle?" The queen turned her head at the sound of Belle's voice. She and Snow had saw the flashes of magic and followed them to Neal grave. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened at the sight of his wife. She should've been stuck in the mansion. Belle however hardly looked at him. She could only stare at Regina. The queen stood in front of Rumple holding the dagger out in front of her with a tight grip. She could still feel the anger and pain vibrating off of her.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to see your face Bookworm!" said Regina turning back to Rumple. She didn't want to look in Belle's eyes. She knew she would only see pity there.

"Regina we can't let you do this," said Snow strongly.

"Why not?" said Regina. "He's a villain! He's hurt everyone in this town! No one will miss him!"

"This isn't about Rumpelstiltskin!" cried Belle. "We're not here for him! We're here for you! Regina you're a hero now! And heroes don't kill! We will deal him later but right now you have to let him go."

"No! It is HIS TURN!" shouted Regina with tears in her eyes. "He destroyed me! He killed my sister! He murdered my mother! He took away everything I cared about so I could be his monster! It is his turn! He needs to suffer! Why can't I be the one to make it happen?!"

"BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE!" yelled Snow. "You're right Regina. He did hurt you. He took advantage of your pain and your innocence. He used you.. He turned your heart black and tried to steal your soul. But guess what? He failed. You used to be an evil queen but that's no longer true. You did the one thing that he will never be able to do and that is change. You changed for your son and became a hero. You saved my son. You gave my daughter and my grandson a good life even though it hurt you. I know you're furious right now Regina but you still have a good heart. Please don't lose it. "

"You have fought for every piece of your soul and you earned it all back." said Belle walking toward her friend. "You aren't the evil queen anymore. You are Regina Mills. You are Henry's mother. You are Robin Hood's soul mate. And you are my friend and I am not going to let you lose yourself. Not over him. Don't you see, Regina? Once you kill him he wins. Don't let him drag you down. Don't let him steal your soul. Not again! "

Regina's hand started shaking as she felt the weight of their words. She felt tears go down her cheeks as she thought of Henry and Robin and Roland. They looked at her like she was a hero. How would they look at her now? She felt her chin tremble as she looked into the eyes of the man who had caused all her suffering and wondered… was he really worth it? She shivered when she felt Snow gently hand on her back.

"Give me the dagger Regina," she said calmly. Regina looked into Snow's green eyes and slowly handed her the dagger. As soon as its weight left her hand she collapsed to her knees and sobbed. Belle quickly wrapped her arms around the queen as Snow awkwardly commanded Rumple to go to the sheriff's station jail cell.

"You're okay,"whispered Belle soothingly. "We're gonna get you home Regina."

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><p><strong>So what will they do with Rumple now? Stay tuned to find out!<strong>

**Tell me what you thought of this chapter. The fight scene was the hardest to write so I'd love to know what you thought. Please review and Follow!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Wow 50 followers! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read and follow this story that means so much. Here's chapter 16. This and the next few chapters are going to be very Regina-Centric. This one alone features SwanQueen, RegalBeliever, and a tiny bit of OutlawQueen. Enjoy!**

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><p>Getting Regina home was a blur of tears and anguish. Now that the anger had left her she could feel all the pain she'd buried deep. It took both Snow and Belle to get her up to her room. The queen remained silent the entire journey there. All that could be heard were her tears and quiet sobs. As soon as they got home Snow arranged for Doctor Whale to do a home visit with Regina, while Belle let the rest of group know that the coast was clear. The women were silently waiting in the kitchen when Emma arrived with Hook and Henry.<p>

"Where's my mom?" said Henry rushing into the house.

"Calm down sweetie," said Snow softly. "She's upstairs with Doctor Whale. He's just checking her out."

"Well what the hell happened?" asked Emma urgently. Snow and Belle quickly relayed the events of the night to the trio. Hook raised his eyes in surprise.

"She outsmarted the dark one?" he said. "That's impressive."

"I'm just glad that we got there before she did something she would truly regret," said Belle.

At that moment David arrived with Robin. The archer's eyes were wild with concern for his soulmate. "Where is Regina?"

"She's upstairs with the doctor," said Emma. "We're just waiting to see how she's doing."

Before he could ask another question Doctor Whale came downstairs. Everyone rushed over to him eager to know what he'd discovered. "How is she?" asked Snow.

"Well," started the doctor, "she has a broken bone in her left arm, a shattered talus in her right ankle and she's covered with cuts and bruises."

"But she's okay?" asked Henry his voice trembling with concern.

"Yes," said Whale. "Physically, she should heal just fine. Emotionally, I can't really say."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the doctor's news. As long as she was okay physically they could help her get back on her feet emotionally.

"Can we see her now?" asked Robin.

"I would prefer for you to wait until I've treated her injuries more thoroughly," said Whale. "I have to pick up my things at the hospital though."

"You know what," said Emma. "I can take care of the bones and cuts. She's been teaching me how to heal for the past few weeks anyway. Thanks for coming though."

As Belle walked Doctor Whale to the front door Emma headed up to get started on Regina's injuries. Halfway up the stairs she noticed Henry had rushed behind her. "Hey what are you doing?"

"I'm going up to see mom." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. His mom was hurt so of course he was going to be with her.

Emma leaned down to his eye level. "Henry I know you're anxious to see your mom but right now she's in pretty bad shape. I'm not saying you can't see her soon but just let me take a look at her injuries before you go up, okay?"

"Fine," muttered Henry sullenly. Whenever things go wrong everyone started treating him like a baby. As he sat down in the kitchen Belle fell on the chair next to him and grabbed his hand. "She'll be okay Henry. She's strong."

"I just don't get it," he said shaking his head. "Zelena tried to wipe all of us out existence. Why is mom so upset about her? It doesn't make sense."

"Well of course it doesn't make sense to you lad," said Hook from the corner. "You're surrounded by family."

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Henry. Of course his mom had family. She had him and she had Snow and Belle and everyone else on her side. It's not like she was alone.

Hook sat at the table next to Henry. "Okay, Henry I want you to listen to me because I am going to talk to you like the adult you are. And that might include some harsh honesty."

"Okay," said Henry crossing his arms.

"What you and your mother have is very special," started Hook. "You mean so much to each other and anyone can see that. But you also have Emma, your birth mom. And Snow and Charming, your biological grandparents. Now, you and I both know that the blood doesn't mean that they matter more to you but you have recognize that to a lot of people you share an invisible, unbreakable tether with them that you just don't have with Regina. And it's a tether that she doesn't have with anyone. And quite frankly that's something that you and the rest of the family used to throw in her face quite a lot."

Henry frowned as he thought back to when he first found out about the curse. It pained him to think about how he'd belittled her role as his mother. "But that was during the curse. It's different now. She knows that she'll always be my mom."

Belle could see that Henry was starting to get defensive so she decided to jump in. "Of course she knows that. Everyone knows that but what you have to realize is that when you hear people say things like that… you never truly forget. Even though she knows that you love her and that she'll always be your mom there will always be a part of her that's afraid that you'll reject her again. You see Henry because she doesn't have the same tether to you that Emma does, she feels like if she isn't exactly what you want her to be that you'll have no reason to keep her around."

"Henry you are your mother's only true family," said Hook. "If you were to decide that you no longer wanted her in your life in her eyes she'd have no one else. She'd be alone again. That's why Zelena's death hurt her so much. She might have been the Wicked Witch of the West but she was also the last blood relative she had left. I think your mother would've given almost anything to have the chance to form an actual relationship with her. I know because I would too. "

"You would?" said Henry.

"Henry I have no family left," said Hook solemnly. "I know I have your mother and I love her completely but it's not like we're married. If one day she realized that she was too good for me I would be alone again. So, yes. If I was to discover that I had one last living relative, it wouldn't matter to me if they were a thief, or a murderer, or whatever you could think of. I would still want to reach out. And that's what your mother is upset. Not that she lost Zelena. But that she lost the chance for her and Zelena to actually become family."

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><p>Emma closed her eyes and focused on the magic pulsating from her hands. She could feel Regina's ankle slowly begin to mend. God, four years ago she never thought she'd be using magic to mend the bones of her son's adoptive mother after she battled his paternal grandfather. It had really been one hell of a day.<p>

"How that?" she asked Regina.

"It's good," replied the older woman quietly staring down at her hands. She'd stayed silent through the whole healing session. She was too exhausted, both physically and emotionally, to talk. The queen just lay on her bed perfectly still leaning against her headboard. Emma looked at her with sad eyes. She'd never seen Regina look so small.

"Okay," said Emma slowly standing up. "I took care of all your bones and cuts. Your bruises might need more time though."

Regina just nodded her head slowly.

"I've done all I can do right now so I'm just going to send Henry up okay."

"Please don't!" said Regina snapping her head at the blonde. She'd been so close to darkness she couldn't let Henry near her right now. "Please just… don't let him see me like this. I-I can't let him see me this way. "

Emma looked into the queens eyes seriously and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Regina, I know you're tired. And I know you're hurt but our son needs to see you. He is terrified and you are the only one who can help him. So please just give him ten minutes to see that you're okay. And then I promise you can take all the time you need. Do you think you can handle that?"

Regina wiped a tear from her from her cheek and nodded. "Okay."

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><p>As Henry walked up the stairs to his mother's room he thought over what Hook had talked to him about. He'd never really thought about how lonely his mother's life must truly be. Looking back on his life he remembered that his mother had always spent a lot of her time alone. He only realized now that it wasn't because she thought herself superior but because she thought she would be unwanted.<p>

As he walked into her room he saw her laying on the bed. She looked… tired. "Mom?"

"Henry." She smiled at him. Though she was reluctant to do so, it was good to see him. He walked over to the bed and sat by her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Not as much as I'd like to be," she said honestly. "But I'm better than I was a few hours ago. I'm sorry for scaring you honey."

"You're not my first mom to lose control of her powers," chuckled Henry. "At least you didn't throw me across the forest floor."

Regina forced a smile at her son's words. Though he was making light of it she often wondered how easier his life would've been if he didn't have a Savior and a dark sorceress as his mothers. She took his hands in hers. "Henry I know you want to stay here and take care of me. But you have to understand that's not your job. I have some things I need to deal with on my own right now. So I think it would be best if you stay with Emma at the loft for a couple days. You know until I have things under control."

"I don't want you to be alone," said Henry sadly.

"I won't be," she said quickly. "I'll have Belle here and I know Robin will come by often. And I promise we'll see each other every day for dinner. I just don't want you to feel like you have to prop me up. I'll be fine."

Henry leaned over and gave her a hug. "I love you mom."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I love you too Henry."

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><p>Once Henry left the room Regina silently started to cry. She couldn't believe she was sending her son away again. She knew it was for his own good but it still hurt. She wanted nothing more than to close her and sleep the pain away. It wasn't much later that she heard a knock on her door.<p>

"Regina?"

It was Robin this time. He walked toward the edge of the bed and looked down at the woman he loved. It killed him to see her like this. He sat down on the bed and took her in his arms.

"It is going to be okay," he whispered. She just continued to cry silently into his shoulder.

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><p>Snow and Charming silently moved around the library trying piece back together Regina's house. Charming then turned to his wife. "Do you think we should wait to pick up Neal until tomorrow?"<p>

"Well it's already past one in the morning," said Snow. "It'd be rude to wake up Phillip and Aurora now."

"Yeah I guess we can head over in a few hours."

Snow groaned. She was so tired and she missed her baby. Charming observed as his wife stretched her neck. "Do you want to head back to the loft? See if we can catch a few hours of sleep?"

The princess turned to her husband. "Actually I was thinking I should stay here for the night."

"With Regina?" he questioned. "Don't you think she'd rather be alone?"

"I think she's been alone for far too long," Snow responded sadly. "I'll be back home tomorrow but tonight I really just want her to feel supported."

"Okay," said Charming shrugging his shoulders. "Neal and I will meet you back at home."

"Okay," she said giving him a quick kiss goodbye. As Charming walked out of the library Belle made her way in.

"You're not going with him?" she asked Snow.

She shook her head. "No I think I'm needed here."

Belle tilted her head at Snow. "You're worried aren't you?"

Snow sighed. "A little bit. I know she's changed but the last time she lost someone like this she went dark."

Belle nodded her head in understanding. "Well, last time she didn't have us."

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><p><strong>Aww Belle and Snow are going to stick around to comfort their friend. Please follow and review!<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright here's another Regina centric chapter with some Snowing angst thrown in. Enjoy!**

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><p>When Regina woke the next morning before the sun even rose. Only a few hours had passed and her eyes still felt sore from the tears of the previous day. She was also very aware of the two strong arms around her and the distinct smell of forest. She turned to face her soulmate while remaining in his arms. He was still awake and smiled softly at her.<p>

"Morning," he whispered.

She smiled painfully at him. "Thank you for staying with me."

"Where else would I be?" he answered. They were silent for a while, just enjoying being in each other's arms. It's was comforting just being with each other. Then Regina finally spoke.

"You have to go," she said softly. "You know as soon as that sun comes up Roland will be awake and you need to be there when he does."

Robin sighed sadly. He knew that his son would always come first but he felt so guilty about leaving Regina when she was in such distress. He leaned in to give her a lingering kiss. He tried to put all his love and concern into it. He pulled her close with one hand and caressed her cheek with the other. When they finally broke apart he placed his forehead against hers. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know," she said breathlessly.

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><p>When Robin went downstairs he saw Belle in the kitchen making breakfast. She looked at him with concerned eyes. "How is she?"<p>

"Only a little better than yesterday," he replied honestly. "I can't stand leaving her like this."

"She understands that you have to be there for Roland," said Belle. "She knows you'd do the same for her if it was Henry."

He nodded while squinting at her. "You look like you haven't slept all night."

Belle sighed. "I tried for the first three hours then I just gave up. Thought I'd try my hand at cooking oatmeal for Regina and Snow."

"Snow stayed?" asked Robin. He didn't expect that from the princess.

Belle nodded her head. "She didn't want her to be alone."

Robin smiled at her. "I'm glad Regina has you two."

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><p>Regina was still lying on her bed when Belle knocked on her door an hour later carrying a tray of oatmeal and toast. She didn't even sit up to address her. "I'm not hungry Belle."<p>

"I know you're not," said Belle walking over to her side of the bed. "But it's been nearly 20 hours since your last meal and you still need to eat something."

Regina just stared at blankly at the ceiling. She didn't feel like eating. Or talking. Or seeing people. She wasn't ready for it. She just wanted to stay in her bed with the drapes shut. Despite her behavior Belle wasn't deterred as she set down the tray and pulled over a chair.

"Regina, when Henry left last night I promised him that I would take care of you," she said. "Please don't make me a liar."

Regina rolled over to face her. She could see pity and concern written all over the younger woman's face. She supposed that with the way she was acting that it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Six bites," bargained Belle. "Then I won't you force you to eat anything for the rest of the day."

Regina begrudgingly sat up and took the tray. "I'll give you five."

With the spoon in her hand she stared at the oatmeal and toast. Even if she had been hungry it wasn't the most appetizing thing in the world. At least Belle had been smart enough to add a thin layer of brown sugar to the oatmeal. _Of course she would_, thought Regina. She'd probably seen the queen do it herself a thousand times since living here. She thought over how much she'd actually enjoyed having brunette around. Regina didn't have many people that she could call a friend. But she did have Belle. She abruptly set the spoon down and faced her.

"Belle… I'm sorry for how treated you," she said. "I was angry and I couldn't control myself and I hurt you just because you were there."

"Oh no Regina," said Belle grabbing her hand. "This was my fault. I should have told you about Zelena when I gave Hook his heart back. I was just afraid. I didn't want to say it aloud because that would be admitting to everyone that my marriage was a failure before it even started. And I didn't' want you to go after Rumple. I knew that you'd changed and I still didn't trust you. I could've prevented all of this if I'd just trusted you like I should have."

The younger woman was in tears before she knew it. She knew in her soul that if she'd just been honest that all this would never have happened.

Regina wiped a tear from her cheek. "Oh Belle that's just not true. Rumple would've found some way to go after his dagger. It's what he does. And you'd just left your husband. I don't blame you for feeling the way you did. Our history wasn't the greatest back then."

Belle chuckled at that. "No it wasn't. But I'm so glad we got the chance to change it."

"Me too," said Regina with a smile. "Now I just have one more question."

"What is it?" answered Belle.

"Why the hell is Snow still in my house?"

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><p>After she helped Belle with breakfast Snow headed for the library. The least she could do for Regina was make sure that her house was some kind of order when she woke up. She'd finally gotten all the books back on the shelf and in order when the queen herself walked into the library.<p>

"You know I order my books by genre instead of the alphabet right?"

Snow took a deep sigh before turning to look at her. "I see Belle told you that I was still here."

"She didn't have to," said Regina sitting down. "The toast told me."

"The toast?" said Snow quizzically.

"For some strange reason you refuse to cut toast diagonally like a normal person," said Regina. "You've always done it vertically. Ever since you were a child."

"I can't believe you remember that," said Snow taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah well neither can I," said Regina. She hated to admit that she still kept those little details about Snow in her head.

Snow looked at her with concern. "Do you want to talk about-"

"No I do not," said Regina cutting her off. "I don't really want to talk at all."

"Okay," said Snow letting it go. "I was thinking that I could finish cleaning up in here and maybe get started on some of the upstairs rooms-"

"Snow," interrupted Regina. "You have to go home."

"It's alright," said Snow looking down at her feet. "David has Neal so I can stay for a while."

Regina looked her in the eyes. "Snow I appreciate the fact that you stayed the night. I really, really do. But you have a newborn now and he needs you a hell of a lot more than I do. Besides I can see that you miss him."

Snow smiled to herself thinking of her baby. "I do. This is actually the longest I've been away from him."

"Snow, the children have to come first. You know that," said Regina firmly.

"Will you be okay?" asked Snow after a beat.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Afraid I'll go dark?"

"Afraid you'll be lonely," responded Snow.

Regina tilted her head at Snow's concern. It was still unbelievable to her that the girl she had spent so much of her life trying to kill could still express concern over her welfare. It was truly astounding.

"I'll be fine," said Regina. "Go take care of your baby."

"Okay," said Snow heading for the door. Before leaving she turned back toward the older woman. "I know you don't want to talk about it with me but I think you need to talk about it with someone. Whenever you're ready."

As Snow's footsteps echoed down the hall Regina thought over what her stepdaughter had said. She couldn't hold in her emotions like she had before. That had sent her spiraling into darkness. Snow was right. She needed to talk to someone.

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><p>Archie sighed to himself as he and Pongo walked down the street to his office. Since the first curse broke he had often wondered whether it was worth it for him to even go anymore. While he was happy that everyone seemed to be getting their happy endings it wasn't exactly good for business. Very few people came to see him anymore. He was more likely to give advice from a park bench than his actual office. Maybe it was time for him to let go of his cursed occupation and venture elsewhere. He was still mulling over his options when he walked into his office. He shaken out of his thoughts by a bark from Pongo. When he looked up he was met with the sight of Regina. She had on no makeup. Her eyes were puffy which was made more noticeable by the fact her short hair was pulled into a small ponytail. What was even more jarring was the fact that instead of her usual put together appearance she was wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. <em>I didn't even know she owned those<em>, thought Archie.

"Regina?" he said in shock. She stood at the sound of his voice.

"I found out Rumpelstiltskin killed my sister. So I took his dagger and tried to choke him to death." She blurted out with a quivering voice.

Archie blinked twice before simply responding, "Well, why don't you have a seat?"

It looked like he wouldn't be getting out of the therapy business anytime soon.

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><p>When Snow got home she was greeted by kiss from her husband. It was still early so the loft was fairly quiet. Emma had woken up early to check on Rumpelstiltskin at the sheriff's station. Henry sat next to Neal's bassinet searching the internet on his laptop.<p>

"How was Regina?" asked Charming.

"She's better," answered Snow. "It might be awhile before she's fully recovered but I think she's heading in the right direction."

"That's good," he said nodding his head. He and Regina weren't always on the friendliest of terms but he accepted that she wasn't the person she once was. He didn't like the idea of the woman who saved his son being so depressed.

Snow took the dagger from the belt loop of her jeans and held it out to her husband. "Honey can you take this please? I want to hold my baby and I'd rather not do it while I'm also holding the darkest item in all the realms."

"Alright," he said taking the dagger. He held the twisted metal in his hands and examined it. How could one piece of metal hold so much power? Snow walked over to Neal with a smile on her face.

"Hello my darling," she said lifting him from his bassinet. "I've missed you so much."

"Hey grandma," said Henry barely looking up from his screen.

"Hi Henry," she said looking over his shoulder. "What are you up to this early?"

"Well Hook explained to me why my mom's so sad about Zelena," said Henry. "So I thought that it might be helpful for her if I planned a small memorial service for her."

Snow internally cringed at the thought of saying a tearful goodbye to the women who almost killed them all but she kept a smile on her face for Henry's benefit. "I actually think that might be a good idea Henry. It might help your mom get some closure."

"Yeah that's very important in times like this," said Charming from the kitchen. He hated the idea of a memorial for Zelena too but if it was what Regina needed he wouldn't deny her that right.

"Would you guys mind coming?" Henry asked. He didn't want his mom to feel alone if she felt like she needed a shoulder to cry on.

"You can count on us being there," said Snow instantly, not even seeing the look on her husband's face.

Charming cleared his throat from the kitchen. "Snow can I talk to you upstairs for a minute?"

"Okay," said Snow following her husband up to the spare room. "What's going on?"

"You can't be serious about us going to that thing can you?" he asked once they were safely upstairs.

"I'm completely serious," answered Snow calmly. "I think we need to be there."

"Well you can go but I'm not going," said Charming angrily.

"Charming!"

"No Snow! I am not going to stand at an event that memorializes a woman who took our son from your arms the minute he was born!" said Charming. "I will not pretend to be sorry that she is gone."

"I'm not sorry that she's gone either Charming but this isn't for _that_ woman!" retorted Snow. "This is for her sister. Regina! The woman who saved this town by giving up _her_ son. The same woman who saved _our_ son by using light magic. The woman who saved _your_ life by helping me give you half of my heart. We are going for _that_ woman!"

Charming put his hands on his hips defensively. "Snow you know that I appreciate all that Regina has done for us. I accept her redemption and I will always have her back in a fight but this is one thing that I won't do for her. I can't."

Snow glared at him. "Fine."

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think! Please review and follow!<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Here's another Regina-centric chapter. Today we'll finally see the memorial that Henry has planned. We have CricketQueen therapy session, SwanQueen support and MadBeauty flirting. Enjoy!**

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><p>For a whole hour Regina relayed to Archie every detail of what had happened to her since she arrived at Robin Hood's camp the day before. He asked questions when necessary but for the most part he remained silent. When she finished she looked at him with expectant eyes.<p>

"Well you've had quite the day haven't you," said Archie.

"I guess you could put it that way," replied Regina. She and Archie weren't exactly what you would call close but when she thought over the people she could talk to the cricket was the only one who seemed like a good option.

"Regina it's understandable that you're upset over Zelena's death," said Archie cleaning his glasses on his shirt in an effort to buy more time. "She was your sister and she represented quite a lot for you. Your own past and demons…"

Regina shook her head when Archie mentioned Zelena. "That's not why I'm here."

"No?" said Archie raising his eyebrows.

"No," said Regina. "I'm no stranger to loss Archie. For a long time it was the only thing constant in my life. I know it's not something I handle well. It's just… I was almost… _her_ again."

"The evil queen you mean?"

"Yes," said Regina softly. "When I was in that graveyard, standing over Rumpelstiltskin, I felt… good almost. I was taking down someone who wronged me. Someone who deserved it. I wanted to revel in his pain. I would've tortured him if it wasn't for Snow and Belle. Archie, I've spent so much time pushing those feelings down. I know that I've changed and that's good but…"

"But what, Regina?"

"What if it's not real?" she said tearfully. "What if this is just temporary and I'm only delaying the inevitable? It wasn't just with Rumpelstiltskin. When Marian first showed up and Robin told me that he was staying with her I wanted to kill her. I wanted her gone and I almost let that snow monster kill her. I only changed my mind at the last minute. How am I supposed to call myself a hero if those are the thoughts and urges I have inside me? What if… this darkness inside of me is just who I am?"

Archie leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. "I can understand why this scares you so much Regina. You battled the darkness for so much of your life and once before you lost. But what you need to understand is that the evil queen? She's not real. She was never who you were. She was nothing more than a defense mechanism that you created. You were a young woman who had more pain than you could deal with so you adopted a persona that could. Someone who could take all the pain and all the grief and turn it into strength. Regina there will always be a part of you that wants to turn to her when you are hurting. For so long it was the only way you felt you could survive."

"Well how am I supposed to beat that?" asked Regina. "If I'm always going to revert to her when I'm sad or angry how am I ever going to defeat the darkness in me?"

"Don't you see Regina?" said Archie. "You already are! You're recognizing it, you're pulling away from it."

"But Marian…"

"You saved her," he said. "You may have been tempted and it may have been a close call but you chose to save her. You made that decision on your own. Without Snow, without Henry, without Robin. That tells me everything I need to know about who you are now. You have come so far Regina. I don't think you're truly capable of going back. "

"But what about what happened with Rumple?" she said. "What am I supposed to do if I have another day like that?"

"You do what you did today," replied Archie. "You reach out for help. Regina you have to learn not to isolate yourself whenever you're feeling vulnerable. I know that's something that's particularly hard for you but you have to realize that you have people who care about you now. Robin, Henry, Snow and Belle. They all want to be there for you."

Regina silently thought about the people in her life. She was so afraid of disappointing them. She stood up from the couch. "I think I've had about all I could handle today. Thank you Archie."

He stood and walked her to the door. "Please think over all I've said today and try to spend some time with your family."

"The only family I have is Henry," she replied, putting on her coat. "And I will not burden him with this."

Archie looked into her eyes and said "You and I both know he wasn't who I meant."

She stared back for a moment before quickly leaving the office.

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><p>Belle shoved the box of small papers in the backseat of Regina's car. She didn't like borrowing it but she needed it to pick up the things for the memorial Henry was planning. The idea of Henry throwing Zelena a memorial was a bit ridiculous but if there was a chance it would help Regina it was worth a shot.<p>

"Belle!"

She turned at the sound of her name and before she could even look around she was wrapped in two strong arms and an intoxicating scent of cologne. "Jefferson," she breathed. "This is quite a greeting."

Jefferson stepped back with his hands still on her shoulders and examined her as if searching for scars. It was like he was trying to make sure she was real. "I can't believe you're actually here. Are you okay?"

"Yes," said Belle confusedly. "I'll admit I don't come to the office store frequently but there's no need to be so surprised."

"Grace told me that Regina handed you over to Rumpelstiltskin last night," he said with a concerned look on his face. "I was… worried."

"Oh," said Belle softly. She hadn't expected word of the trade to get around so quickly. She should've known better. It was Storybrooke. "Well yes that's sort of true."

Jefferson's face went red in anger. "I can't believe her!" he growled.

"No it's not what you think," said Belle quickly. She relayed to him all the events of the night. As the story went on he got less angry and more concerned.

"So you handed yourself over to your insane ex-husband in order to save your friend's almost stepchild?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes," said Belle shrugging her shoulders. "It was the only option I had to ensure his safety."

Jefferson just stood there for a minute folding his arms, nodding his head, just thinking to himself. Belle just stared at him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'm just feeling an odd mixture of concern, admiration and jealousy for you."

"Jealousy?" asked Belle raising her eyebrows. What could he possibly be jealous for?

"I'm just not sure I have it in me to be the hero you so clearly are," said Jefferson smiling at her.

Belle smiled back at him. "Anyone can be a hero Jefferson. It just takes the right circumstances and opportunity."

He just chuckled at her as he walked away. "Just promise the next time you offer yourself to a dark wizard, you'll give me a chance to talk you out of it."

"I will make no such promise," smirked Belle as she got into the car. As she put her hands on the steering wheel she took a deep breath to calm herself. What was it about that man?

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><p>Regina opted to walk home in an attempt to clear her head. It was useless though. All she could think about was the graveyard, and Archie, and the Evil Queen and all the people she couldn't afford to disappoint. They all rattled around in her head and she couldn't get them out. She finally escaped her thoughts when she walked up her street and noticed Emma leaning against her yellow monstrosity in front of her house. Regina sighed and walked over to her. "I swear, Miss Swan, if you are here to tell me there is another emergency I will drop to the ground and have a deliberate heart attack."<p>

Emma smirked at the queen's threat. "It's nice to see you got your sarcasm back."

Regina just looked at her impatiently.

"Don't worry," said Emma. "I'm not here to tell declare another disaster. I just came to give you a heads up."

"About what?"

"Henry," answered Emma. "He's planned a memorial service for Zelena. He and Snow will be here later today to pick you up."

Regina groaned at her words. "Who put that idea in his head?"

"The idea was his own but Mom encouraged," replied Emma honestly.

"Of course she did," said Regina rolling her eyes. It was just like Snow to think that this could possibly be a solution. She closed her eyes and sighed. She could not handle this right now.

"Just say the word and I'll play the bad guy, call this whole thing off," said Emma. She knew that Regina preferred solitude whenever she felt vulnerable. It was one of the traits that she shared with the brunette. So if she felt she could heal better alone then she'd let her. She meant what she said last night. If Regina asked her to she'd give her all the time in the world to get past this.

Regina was tempted to say yes to Emma's offer. After her session with Archie she still wanted to crawl in her bed and block out the world. But the cricket's words had gotten to her. Maybe going with Snow and Henry would be good for her. "No," she answered. "Don't call them off. Henry probably worked hard on this. I won't take that away from him. No matter how disastrous it might go."

Emma gave her a small smile. "He told me what he has planned and it actually might not be that bad."

"We'll see," said Regina.

* * *

><p>When Snow and Henry arrived later that day Regina had changed into one of her far more sensible pantsuits. She smiled at her son and thanked him for planning such an event but on the inside she was screaming in protest. This couldn't end well and she didn't want Henry to be disappointed when it did. She didn't ask where they were going on the ride over but she expected it to be small and private. Not many would want to memorialize someone who had terrorized the whole town. She was surprised when they actually pulled up to the park. Snow and Henry escorted her to patch of grass by the duck pond where a group of around thirty people had gathered. Regina looked at Snow in confusion.<p>

"There are more people who want to support you than you think," said Snow softly. As Regina looked out at the crowd she saw some familiar faces. Belle was there of course. Emma had brought her pirate. Grace and Jefferson were also there. All seven of the dwarves were there along with Granny and Ruby. Everyone was there but Charming. She even saw Robin had brought a small group of Merry Men. He walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked giving him a hug.

"I thought you might need me," he replied.

"But Roland…."

"Insisted that I come see you," he said reaching into his pocket. "How else were you going to get this?"

He handed her a colorful drawing that Roland had made. There were two crudely drawn stick figures apparently in the forest. One labeled "Gina", the other "Me." She appeared to be defending him from a flying monkey. She chuckled remembering the first time she'd met the little boy.

"He's quite the artist," she laughed.

"I see amazing potential," chuckled Robin. He smiled toward Henry. "Now that your mother is here do you want to get started?"

"Yeah," said Henry heading toward the crowd.

Regina looked at Robin curiously. "You helped with this?"

"Your boy requested my assistance," he answered. "How could I say no after all you've done for mine?"

As they walked closer to the group Regina could see that they were all gathered around a small sapling. She squinted at it. "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you mean a green apple tree then yes," said Emma appearing at her side. "Henry thought it would be fitting." They both turned toward their son as he began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming," said Henry standing next to the apple tree. "I know that a lot of you would rather not be here. I'm not naïve. I know that my aunt Zelena wasn't a good person. And I know that to a lot of you she's not worth remembering. She was selfish, cruel and hurt a lot of people in this town, my own family included. But what you don't know is that when she was defeated she sat in a jail cell, alone, brooding, probably plotting her next move when my mom came to see her. You see my mom used to be a lot like Zelena. Cruel, selfish but most importantly, alone."

Regina cringed as she recalled her time as the Evil Queen. She shook her thoughts from her head and focused on her son.

"However," continued Henry, "my mother got a second chance. And there were a lot of times where she didn't use it correctly. Times where even I wanted to give up on her. But she took it. She took her second chance and became a better mother, a better friend and one of the greatest heroes in my life. My mom knew how much a second chance could matter. So in a moment of mercy and understanding, she offered one to her sister. My mother will never know what my Aunt would have done with her second chance because it was stolen from her. It was taken by a man who didn't think that she deserved one. And it doesn't matter what you think of her you can't say that's not tragic. I can't mourn Zelena. I didn't know her. But what I can mourn is the opportunity that she was so cruelly denied. A chance to be loved. A chance to rebuild a family. And a chance to change. That's what I want this memorial to stand for. Not the Zelena that was but for the Zelena that could have been. Second chances are hard. They're hard to use, they're even harder to give but they can never be undervalued. Everyone deserves a second chance. Most of the people standing here have already gotten one. Whether it be a second chance to be a parent, to fall in love, or to just do better than you did before. Chances like that are so rare and so priceless, that no one should ever think they have the right to take it from someone else. So in honor of my aunt Zelena's stolen chance I planted this apple tree. I hope it grows and blossoms like she never got the chance to."

Everyone was so moved by Henry's speech. Emma even had a few tears in her eyes. She was so thankful she'd gotten a second chance to be in his life. Henry stepped from the tree and smiled at her. "Ready Mom?"

Emma stepped forward rubbing her hands together. "Forgive me if this doesn't go well I've only done it once before."

She closed her eyes and pushed her light magic towards the tree. As the white glow of her powers surrounded the tree it grew. It grew until it was no longer a sapling but at least 20 feet tall with apples on every branch. Everyone gently applauded when it done.

"If you look over at Belle she should have papers and strings for everyone" said Henry pointing out the librarians. "If there is anything that you have ever wanted a second chance, please write it down and hang it on the tree. Maybe it'll come true from you."

As everyone headed over to write down their second chances Regina embraced her son. Putting both her hands on his face she kissed him on his forehead.

"You are going to make such an amazing leader one day," she said tearfully.

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><p><strong>Aww wasn't Henry so sweet! Coming up we will have an EvilCharming Brotp moment so stay tuned!<strong>

**Tell me what you thought. Please Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you all so much for your patience. Things have been really hectic with school so I know haven't updated in a while. So this next chapter is very short but it features an EvilCharming brotp moment so please enjoy!**

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><p>Henry's memorial went beautifully. After his speech even more people arrived to share their second chances. By the time the sun went down Zelena's tree had dozens of paper notes hanging from it. Each one holding a different second chance than the one next to it. Henry himself was quite proud of what he had accomplished that day. He watched from the bench while everyone hung their notes from the tree. He could see his mother talking with Snow and Robin. She looked more alive than she had the day before and it felt good to know he could take some credit in that.<p>

"The memorial was beautiful Henry," said Grace taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah I'm glad it turned out okay," he said modestly.

"No seriously," said Grace looking him in the eyes. "When you told me you were planning a memorial for the Wicked Witch I thought you were insane. But you managed to turn her life and her ending into something that people can relate to. Not many people can do that. You were incredible today."

"Thanks Grace," he said shyly. He smiled at her and bravely took her hand in his. Grace smiled timidly as she laced her fingers through his. She turned to observe the crowd and noticed her father trying not to stare at Belle as he hung his own note to the tree.

"I think my Dad has a crush on Belle," she said curiously.

Henry turned his attention toward the Hatter. He could see how he was trying not to be creepy as he stared at Belle but he could also see how Belle was trying as hard as she could not to look up from her own note as he walked past. "I think she's interested in him too," he said.

"How can you tell?" asked Grace.

"I just do," said Henry shrugging his shoulders.

"I kind of want to get them together," said Grace mischievously.

"So do I," said Henry. "But it's not time. She still needs to get over what happened with my Grandpa. Once that happens then we can step into operation Beautiful Hatter."

"Beautiful Hatter. I like it," said Grace giving him a high-five.

* * *

><p>Snow was the first to leave the memorial. She wanted to get back to her baby and husband. <em>Charming<em>, she thought shaking her head. She can't believe he didn't come to the memorial. When she got home Charming was on the floor playing with Neal as the little prince laid on his back waving at the jingling toys his father shook. He looked up when she walked in. "How'd it go?"

"Well," she said picking up Neal, "you missed a beautiful speech by your grandson, amazing magic by your daughter and a chance to see your kingdom support one of its own."

Charming glared at her bitterly. He couldn't believe she still wasn't over this. "Well at least I still have my pride."

"Good," said Snow getting one of Neal's bottles from the fridge. "I hope it keeps you warm at night on the couch."

"Snow…"

"I'm going to feed my son," said Snow quickly heading upstairs.

Charming let out a frustrated groan once she was out of sight. _All of this over Zelena!_ He grabbed his coat and stomped out of the loft. He needed a walk.

* * *

><p>After Snow left the crowd at the memorial began to thin out. Soon Regina was the only one left. She'd thanked Henry for what he'd done but told him it was still best that he spent a few days with Emma. She couldn't be more proud of her son. He was turning into such a mature young man. The compassion that he'd shown today astounded her. With her eyes she took in the apple tree that her son had planted that day. She ran her hand along the bark and closed her eyes taking in the rough feeling against her palm. <em>I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you sis. <em>

"I thought you found green apples bitter."

Regina whipped her head toward the sound of Charming's voice. "It's hard enough with Snow tracking my every move I don't need you tracking my eating habits."

Charming looked up at the tree. "It's a beautiful tree Regina."

"Well your grandson planted it," she responded coolly. She scrunched her face at him in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Snow wanted some alone time with Neal so I thought I'd take a walk," he lied.

Regina chuckled at his poor deception. "She's mad at you isn't she?"

Charming just avoided her gaze and walked over to a nearby bench. When he decided to take a walk through the park the last person he wanted to run into was Regina.

"Don't think I didn't notice your absence today Charming. My guess is that she's mad at you for not showing up to support me or whatever."

"My marriage is none of your business." Said Charming firmly. He didn't need Regina's input on his relationship with Snow.

"Well you're right about that. I couldn't care less what goes on in your marriage to Snow," she said taking a seat next to him. "But for what it's worth I don't blame you for not showing up."

Charming turned to study her face but she didn't look at him. She only stared at the apple tree wistfully.

"I haven't forgotten what Zelena did to you," she continued. "She threatened your entire family's existence. So I can understand if you didn't want to show up here and pretend to be mournful over what I've lost."

Charming took a deep breath. "You know all things considered I still think that you were luckier than I was."

Regina turned to glare at him. "In what possible universe would I ever be considered luckier than you?"

"Well at least you got to meet your long-lost sibling." He answered sadly.

Regina felt a small twinge of guilt at Charming's answer. With all that happened with Zelena she'd forgotten that Charming also had a brother he had never known about.

"I almost forgot about James," she whispered.

"Most people do," said Charming sullenly. "But I think about him almost every day. I mean he wasn't just my brother he was my…twin. I should've grown up with him but I never even learned his name until after he was gone."

When Charming left the loft he never expected to be lamenting over lost siblings with Regina but he'd never really talked about James with anyone besides Snow. He didn't think it was something that most people could really understand. "I keep hearing about how he wasn't that great of a person. That he was selfish and didn't truly care for anything but I can't help but wonder…"

"If you could've made a difference," finished Regina sadly.

"Yeah," said Charming nodding his head.

"I feel the same way about Zelena," she said. "I know I offered her the second chance but… I don't truly know what she would've done with it. She might not have changed at all."

"Well if there's one thing you and Snow have showed me it's that if you give someone the chance they can surprise you in ways you never expected," said Charming. He still remembered the day Snow stopped Regina's execution. He thought she was crazy for taking that chance but now he was grateful for it every day. Without Regina he could've lost his whole family without even realizing it. They never could've defeated Zelena without her.

The two of them sat in silence for a minute before Regina spoke again.

"Well this has become far too sentimental for my liking," she said standing up. "I'm going home. I advise you to do the same."

She began to walk away before he called out. "Regina!"

"What," she said tiredly.

"I'm sorry you lost your sister," he said sincerely.

Regina just nodded her head. "So am I."

* * *

><p>When Regina got home she found Belle waiting in the living room for her. Though it was only seven she was already in her pajamas with her hair in a lazy ponytail. She looked just as tired Regina felt.<p>

"Are you okay?" asked Regina.

"Are you?" said Belle.

"I'm getting there," she said taking a seat on the couch next to her. "What about you?"

"I wouldn't even know how to begin to answer that question," said Belle. These past two days had been quite a whirlwind for her. As much she wanted to hide a way she knew there was still one more thing that needed to be taken care of. "I think we need to talk."

"About what?" said Regina confused. She thought she and Belle had settled everything earlier.

"About what we're going to do with Rumpelstiltskin."

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><p><strong>So what do YOU think they should do with Rumpelstiltskin? Let me know. Please review and follow thanks :) <strong>

**If you're a Regina fan and you have the time please check out my story Passing The Torch, it's where Regina meets the author.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay so this is my longest chapter yet I had a lot to get out. The Regina-centric chapters have ended and we're back to focusing on Belle. There's a lot of Rumbelle angst and Snowing adorableness. Enjoy!**

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><p>Regina and Belle agreed that the fate of Rumpelstiltskin shouldn't be decided by just the two of them. So the next morning the Charmings, Emma and Hook arrived at the Regina's mansion to discuss the fate of the man who had brought them all so much pain. For a few minutes they sat around her kitchen table drinking coffee and exchanging small pleasantries. Trying to lighten the mood before the true gravity of their purpose set in. Charming was the first to speak.<p>

"So does anyone have any ideas?" he asked.

"We could lock him up again," suggested Snow. "Maybe we can fashion a cage like we had for him in the enchanted forest."

Regina shook her head. "Won't work. There's not enough magic in this world recreate that sort of prison."

"Yeah and remember Gold could've escaped at any time," added Emma. "He only stayed because he wanted to be there."

Charming looked warily at Belle before speaking. "I know we didn't want to have to do this before but we need to consider the possibility that we might have to kill him."

Everyone went still at David's suggestion.

"We can't kill him," said Belle. She might not want to be with Rumple anymore but that didn't mean that she wanted him dead.

"I know that it seems like a harsh option," continued David, "but given all that he's done…"

"It's not that simple mate," said Hook. "Do you think if it was I would've spent 300 years in Neverland plotting my revenge?"

"He's the Dark One David," said Regina. "The only way to kill him is for one of us to stab him with the dagger and take on the curse ourselves."

"Well can that be an option for us?" asked Snow. "All curses can be broken with true love and we have plenty of it here."

"So did he," said Belle harshly. "I tried to break Rumple's curse with true love's kiss. It almost worked but he fought against it to hold onto the power. It didn't take."

Belle grimaced of the memory of that day. It was the first time she realized how much she loved him and the first time she'd truly seen the monster that was inside of the man. "The curse of the Dark One is insidious Snow. It seeps into your heart and your mind. No matter how much love you have in your heart now the curse will find a way to attack and destroy it."

"I don't want Henry to see any more of his family members go dark," said Regina firmly. As strong as the love between Snow and Charming was she wouldn't risk either of them going dark. She knew Henry would be destroyed if he saw either of his grandparents become the Dark One. "So none of us will be taking on the curse."

Everyone silently nodded their head in agreement. Emma drummed her fingers on the table thinking. "Maybe we don't have to kill him."

"You have a better solution?" asked Regina.

"Banishment," answered Emma. "The Snow Queen's spell is still up. If we were to send him over the line he could never come back."

"It's a nice thought Emma," said Regina, "but I'm proof that banishment doesn't always equal defeat."

"The queen is right Swan," said Hook. "The Dark One is relentless and clever. If we send him over that line he won't stop until he finds a way back."

"I think I might have a solution for that," said Belle thoughtfully. Everyone listened as Belle relayed a plan that would ensure both their safety and Rumple's life. Once she was finished everyone looked at her in shock.

Regina eyed her friend with concern. "Belle… that is…"

"Drastic. I know," said Belle. "But it might be the only way we can end this without blood or curses on our hands."

"It's a good plan Belle," said Snow. "I'm just worried about how you'll feel once it's done."

Belle wrung her hands at Snow's words. "Let me worry about that."

Everyone looked at each as they thought about Belle's plan.

"Well I think we should put it to a vote," said Charming diplomatically. "All in favor raise your hand."

Slowly but surely everyone at the table raised their hands.

"Okay," said Regina. "Let go take care of Rumpelstiltskin."

* * *

><p>As everyone got ready to head out Belle observed Snow and Charming's behavior. They were rigid around each other but Snow seemed to be slightly more antagonistic. She wouldn't look at Charming, and when he spoke to her she would give sharp one word answers. It was clear to everyone that she was angry at him but no one felt particularly in the mood to comment. When Snow snapped at him for suggesting she wear a jacket Belle decided it was time to step in.<p>

"Snow can I talk to you about something in the library?" asked Belle.

Snow nodded and followed her down the hall.

"Is this about Gold?" she asked once they reached the library.

"No this about you," said Belle. "You need to let it go."

"What are you talking about?" said Snow defensively crossing her arms.

"I'm talking about David and how you're treating him," said Belle. "Everyone can tell that you're angry that he didn't go to the memorial with you."

"No offense Belle but this is none of your business," said Snow clearly offended.

Belle took a deep breath and pressed her palms together in front of her chest. "You're right Snow it's not but right now I am on my way to help my friends punish my husband for attempting to kill them all. So maybe you can understand why it might be hard for me to watch you treat your wonderful, supportive husband with such contempt."

Snow looked away at her words but remained silent.

"Snow if there is one thing I have learned in my failure of a marriage it's that there are times when you're entitled to hold a grudge. The time he refuses to attend the memorial of your son's kidnapper is not one of them." Said Belle. "He talked to Regina after the memorial was over Snow. She told me that last night. He's a good man. Don't treat him like he isn't."

Snow looked down at her shoes in shame. She knew that she had been harsh with Charming lately but she didn't think she'd been that excessive.

"I'm just not used to disagreeing with him like this," she said quietly.

"I understand," said Belle. "But you don't want to deal with disagreements by ignoring him and snapping at him. Especially not over something as insignificant as this. Will this even matter to you in a month or two?"

"Probably not," answered Snow honestly.

"Then let it go and save your passion for when it really matters. Like if he forgets your anniversary" joked Belle wrapping an arm around her friends.

Snow smirked at Belle's quip. She did have a good husband and Belle was right to make her remember that.

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><p>Rumpelstiltskin paced his jail cell like a caged tiger. What the hell was going on with him? <em>The Dark One isn't supposed to lose<em>, he thought. It wasn't supposed to end like this. He wasn't supposed to be in this cell without his dagger, his wife or control over his own actions. It was unacceptable. He quit pacing once he heard the door to the station open. He sneered as the royals and the pirate entered the room and eyed him with contempt. His anger softened however at the sight of Belle. For a second his mask slipped as they made eye contact but he quickly recovered.

"Well, look who's all better," he sneered at Regina. "Have you come to punish me, dearie?" She only glared at him in response.

"Oh taking the silent but strong approach," he taunted. "It's a good move. If only your sister had been smart enough to use it."

At the mention of her sister Regina moved to rush Rumpelstiltskin's cell only to be held back by Charming.

"Regina don't! Remember what we talked about. He's not the worth bruise on your fist." He said pulling her back from the cell.

Regina growled at Rumple before shaking her arm loose from Charming's grip. "Let's just get this over with."

Charming moved to open the jail cell when Belle cried out. "Wait!"

Everyone turned at her outburst. "I need a minute alone with him first," she said.

Emma shook her head with concern. "Belle I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

Regina sent the savior a pointed look. "Emma… let her have a moment with the imp."

Regina and Emma stared at each as if having a silent conversation before Emma reluctantly nodded her head. Everyone left the station leaving Belle and Rumple alone. Rumple glared at Belle through the bar cells. He loved her and she had betrayed him. "So what's the point of this then Belle? Have you come to gloat? Flaunt your heroics in my face and tell me what a monster I am?"

Belle just looked at him sadly. When she asked for a moment alone with Rumple she really had no idea what she wanted to say. Before she had been content with never speaking to him again but when she saw David move toward his cell it just hit her that today was the last day that she would ever see Rumpelstiltskin. At this moment all she could say to him was, "I wish you could've been better. I really do."

Her words were met only with silence from him. She looked at him with pity before moving to leave. He spoke before she could even take two steps.

"Did you mean it?" he asked with a trembling voice.

She turned to look back at him. "Did I mean what?"

"What you said when I captured you. Do you truly no longer love me?"

Belle felt a tear go down her cheek. She walked up to his cell and placed her hands on the bars. Her chin trembled as she answered him. "No I didn't mean it."

"Do you still love me?" asked Rumple desperately.

"A part of me will always love you Rumpelstiltskin," said Belle tearfully. "You were the first person to teach me what loving someone really felt like. For that you will always have a place in my heart. Loving you was not a mistake, trusting you was."

"You can trust me Belle!"

"No I can't!" she said shaking her head. "When we were together Rumple I thought I had finally chased away the darkness inside of you. You promised me that and I believed you. I believed you so much I ignored all the signs that told me otherwise. But seeing you there about to crush someone's heart for the sake of power finally opened my eyes. The darkness in you was never gone. You just got better at hiding it from me."

"Belle everything I did was for us," he explained sorrowfully. "I did those things so we could have any and everything we would could ever desire."

"And that's why I can no longer be with you." Said Belle sadly. "Because I just wanted you. You were everything to me Rumpelstiltskin. But I wasn't everything to you. You would never be able to choose me over power. You never have and you never will. And I can't live with that anymore."

"Belle please… I can still change."

"You've never changed," she said. "And I would be putting everyone in danger if I chose to believe that you could."

She turned to walk away from him.

"What will they do to me?" he asked her.

"I've made sure that they will spare your life," she answered solemnly. "But I won't lie to you Rumple. What's coming for you isn't something that I would wish for myself."

* * *

><p>Belle could hardly remember driving to the town line with Regina. After she had finished talking with Rumple things began to blur. The next thing she knew she was staring across the town line waiting for David and Snow to show up with Rumpelstiltskin. She could see his car was already pushed across the line gassed up and ready to go. She felt Regina come stand next to her.<p>

"Are you sure about this Belle?" she asked.

Belled nodded her head slowly. "This is the only way to keep everyone safe. So yes I am sure."

David and Snow showed up with Rumpelstiltskin a few minutes later. Rumple eyed the town line as David commanded him to exit the car.

"So this is what you have planned for me," he said distastefully. "Banishment. A fairly light sentence if I do say so myself."

"Oh you'd think so wouldn't you?" said Regina with a smirk.

He glared at her angrily.

"It won't be enough dearie," he growled. "I'll find my way back here and when I do I promise it will be the end of you."

Regina looked at him with a small smile on her lips. "Oh but how will you find your way back when you can't even remember who you are?"

He snickered at her. "What are you talking about? In case you don't remember that little forgetting spell that you placed on the town line has long since expired."

"Oh I know. That why I have this," said Regina pulling a small purple stone from her pocket.

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened at the sight of it. "The memory stone…"

"I thought you might be familiar with it," said Regina. "You see once I use this on you Rumpelstiltskin will no longer exist. All your memories of the enchanted forest, of Storybrooke and everyone in it will be gone. You will only be left with your modified curse memories. The minute you cross that town line you will only remember your life as Eli Gold the small town pawnbroker slash lawyer. Moving to New York to get a fresh start."

Rumple trembled at the thought of forgetting the centuries of history he lived. "What about Bae? You can't take his memories from me!"

"We won't," said Emma firmly. "The memories you'll have will include Neal and all your time with him. Only slightly modified to fit the history of this world. It'll be just like what happened when Henry and I spent the year in New York."

"It won't be real," said Rumpelstiltskin shaking his head.

"It'll be real to you," said Emma solemnly. "Trust me I know."

He turned toward Belle. "Belle please… please don't let them do this to me."

"I'm sorry Rumple," she said turning her back to him with tears in her eyes. She might not be able to see him anymore but she could still hear him. Her whole body trembled as she listened Rumple beg for his memories, and David command him to stay still while Regina used the memory stone on him. Once his memories were safely stored in the stone David handed Regina the dagger.

She held it out in front of her and said powerfully, "Rumpelstiltskin I command you to leave Storybrooke."

Rumple whimpered as his feet moved against his will toward the town line. Everyone watched as the Dark One unwillingly crossed the town line. Everyone but Belle. She couldn't bring herself to look at him leave. Only when she heard the crisp sound of Rumple crossing the barrier did she finally look at him. Once the unnatural glow of magic left him Rumple took a confused look around. He looked straight through the group of heroes who were watching him caution. After a moment he gave his head a small shake and went to his car. He didn't look back as he drove away.

Once his car was out of sight Belle let out a deep trembling breath. She knew she had done the right thing but all she could feel was pain. The rest of the group looked at her with pity in their eyes but none of them knew what to say. She turned away from them and started walking down the road back home. She tried to keep her chin up but it was hard to do with the tears falling down her cheeks. Snow moved to go after her but was stopped by Regina.

"Just let her have some time to herself," said the queen. "We can show her our support later but right now I think she needs to be alone."

"Do you think she'll be alright?" said Emma.

"Would you be?" responded Regina. She tossed the blonde her car keys. "Take my car home. "I'm gonna follow her and make sure she gets back okay."

Regina grimaced as she began to make her way down the road. It was gonna be a long walk home.

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><p>Snow was silent the entire ride home. She couldn't get the image of Belle at the town line out of her head. She couldn't imagine how she must've felt in that moment.<p>

When they got back to the loft David had barely closed the door before Snow pulled him into a passionate kiss. When she finally pulled back he looked at her in confusion. "Not that I'm complaining but why?"

She hugged him tight as she answered. "Because no matter what happens between us I know that you will never put me through what Belle went through today. And I love you so much for that."

He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "I love you too Snow."

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><p><strong>So coming up next Swan Beauty and a time jump. Stay tuned!<strong>

**Let me know what you thought. Please Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter done but thank you for your patience. Btw if you're into OutlawQueen check out my page for the prompts I did for OQ week on tumblr. Thanks and enjoy!**

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><p>Belle sat at the bar counter trying her hardest not to think about the events of the day. Her walk down the road had been a long one and once she saw the rooftops of Storybrooke she sent Regina home. She didn't want to be watched right now. She wandered around town until the sun went down and she sought refuge in the Rabbit Hole. She didn't feel ready to go home. Going home meant she would have to get ready for bed. Then go to sleep. Then wake up. Then experience one moment of blissful ignorance before she remembered everything that happened the day before. She wasn't ready for that moment. She wanted to avoid it for as long as possible.<p>

The dark atmosphere of the seedy bar was a stark contrast from the friendly atmosphere she would have experienced at Granny's. It wasn't a place that she would've normally gone but she remembered that Lacey used to spend a lot of time in the bar. _Lacey_, she thought wistfully. What she wouldn't give to be her right now. The vivacious barfly could've shaken this off. She was still reminiscing over her alter ego when Emma sat next to her at the bar.

"Hey there," she said awkwardly. "Need a drinking buddy?"

Belle just shrugged her shoulders. If Emma wanted to join her while she wallowed that was her choice.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well after dropping off Regina's car I came home and found my parents… reconciling," said Emma with a cringe.

"Oh!" said Belle raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah I figured a shot of whiskey would cure my trauma," said the blonde. "What are you drinking?"

"Nothing yet," replied Belle quietly.

"Well that needs to be fixed," said Emma signaling the bartender. Before Belle knew it she'd already ordered them two shots of whiskey.

"I gotta say," said Emma. "I never pegged you for the seedy bar type."

Belle sent her a small involuntary smile. "I'm not but Lacey was."

"Your Storybrooke alter ego?" said Emma raising her eyebrows. She'd almost forgotten about the short time Belle spent as the town's resident party girl.

"Yeah," said Belle nodding her head softly. "I just thought that maybe if I was in a place where she would go I would feel more like her and less like me."

"And why would you want that?" asked Emma sympathetically.

"Because if I was Lacey then days like today would never happen to me," said Belle honestly.

Emma looked at Belle with concern in her eyes. She saw how devastated Belle was at the town line and she knew there was nothing she could say to make her feel better.

"Emma if I ask you a question will you be honest with me?" asked Belle quietly.

Emma eyed her nervously. "Yes."

"Did I do the right thing today?"

"Yes you did." Said Emma firmly. "You're a hero Belle. Everything you've done these past few weeks has proved that a million times over."

"If that's true then I why do I feel like this?" she asked sadly. "If I'm a hero and I did the right thing then why do I feel so empty inside?"

Emma sighed before answering her. "Okay Belle, I am going to tell you something that not everyone realizes so I need you to pay attention."

Belle stared at the blonde with her full attention.

"Being a hero doesn't always feel good," said Emma seriously. "All the books and the tales make it seem like it's all adventures and victories but that's not true. More than bravery or courage being a hero requires sacrifice. Look at my parents. Hell, look at Regina. None of them got where they are now by making the choices that made them feel good. The truth is a lot of people are going to look back on this and remember it as the day a great evil was banished from Storybrooke. But you… you'll look back on this and remember it as the day you gave up on someone you loved and forced them out of your life. And that's just how it is."

Belle stared at Emma with sad eyes as she spoke. The blonde was giving her the harsh honest truth. And she had to admit it didn't feel good.

"Well at least you were honest," said Belle turning away from her.

"I know it's hard to hear," said Emma shrugging her shoulders. "But that's your cross to bear because like it or not you're one of us now. You're a hero Belle French."

Belle sighed. "It's not really what I expected."

"I know," said Emma. "But I promise you one day you'll look back on it all and think it was all worth it."

"Have you reached that day yet?" asked Belle.

Emma gave her a small smile. "Yes I have."

Emma had never meant anything more in her life. Her life before Storybrooke was not a happy time for her. She'd spent so much of her life alone that it'd nearly hardened her beyond repair. But now she could look back and see that all the pain that had followed her in life had been for a purpose. It had led her home. She still carried the scars of her past with her but she no longer allowed them to define her. She was no longer an orphan who thought she could never matter. She was a Savior. She had her parents, her son, and even a dashing pirate who loved her enough to cross realms. There were days where she could still hardly believe it.

Seeing Emma smile despite her past gave Belle a small spark hope. If the Savior could get past her pain then so could she. She thanked the bartender as he gave the ladies their respective shots.

"So you've told me the downsides of being a hero," said Belle. "Are there any perks?"

"Well," said Emma picking up her shot glass. "I hear we make excellent drinking buddies."

Belle gave her small smile as they clinked glasses.

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

Belle rested her chin in her hand as she waited for Emma and Regina to show up at the diner. This was the closest she'd get to a break all day. Since the banishment of Rumpelstiltskin things had been relatively busy for Belle. As the two people in the town with the greatest magical knowledge she and Regina had been put in charge of going through everything that was in the pawnshop. For the past few weeks they'd been cataloguing everything that was dangerous, useful or needed to be returned to it's rightful owner. Though it pained her to be in the place where she spent so much time with her former husband she was glad to have something to occupy her time. She'd mourned the loss of Rumple but she refused to let herself be paralyzed by his absence any longer.

The bell above the door rang as Emma and Regina walked into Granny's. Belle smiled as she greeted them.

"Hey Belle," said Emma sliding into the booth.

"So why'd you ask us to meet you here?" asked Regina bluntly. When Belle had asked to meet them at Granny's it had put her on alert. What could be so important that Belle couldn't wait until she got home?

"Well I wanted to talk you about Rumple's estate and it's a conversation that requires both of you. So I thought it was best to meet on neutral ground."

A few days ago she and Regina had stumbled across Rumple's financial records. Regina had reminded her that even though she had left Rumple they'd never truly gotten divorced and that put her in charge of his estate. She always knew that Rumple had arranged to be well off during the curse but she never realized just how wealthy he really was. He had owned Granny's, the convent, the Charmings' loft and various other properties throughout the town. Belle tried to imagine herself living off those properties and running them all but she knew it could never feel right to her.

Regina nodded her head. "Fair enough. What's going on?"

"Well as you know I've been put in charge of Rumple's estate," started Belle. "I've thought it over and I've decided that I don't want it."

"Are you sure?" asked Emma. "You and Gold weren't exactly divorced. Legally you would be well within your rights to keep it."

"I'm sure," said Belle. "I don't want to have to depend on him or anything that he's left behind. Besides, thanks to your mother I've received a generous raise for my services as the city librarian. I'll be fine."

After a small trip to the Merry Men's camp with Regina Belle had discovered that most of the men there hadn't been gifted with literacy in the second curse. After doing some investigating around town she discovered that nearly a quarter of the second-wave citizens were still illiterate. When she talked it over with Snow the princess had admitted that in their haste to design the curse they had left out some of the more basic skills for the newer citizens. Since then Belle had started a very successful literacy program that she ran through the library. Thanks to her, readership in Storybrooke had really boomed and the library was busier than ever.

"So why did you need to see us then?" asked Regina. "You're free to do whatever you like with the money and I'm sure you're perfectly capable of donating it to the right places."

"Well I've thought about it a lot and I think the money should go to Henry," said Belle.

Emma raised her eyebrows at that. "You want to give the money to Henry?"

"Yes," said Belle nodding her head. "He's Rumple's only living relative and I think he deserves to have it. Besides it's quite a large sum of money and it's sure to come in handy."

"Wait," said Regina. "Exactly how large are we talking here?"

Belle pulled out a folded piece of paper and slid it over to them. The two women exclaimed as they saw the number.

"Woah! That's a lot of digits!" said Emma with wide eyes.

"Well 28 years of compound interest will do that to a bank account," said Regina in disbelief. She always knew that the curse had made Gold wealthy but she didn't realize just how comfortable he was.

"Belle this is very generous of you but I'm not sure how I feel about my fourteen-year old having enough pocket change for a fleet of Ferraris," said Regina.

"Now wait a minute Regina, maybe we should think about this," said Emma practially. "In less than four years Henry is going to be applying to colleges and I want him to be able to go wherever he wants regardless of cost. I know in the Enchanted Forest we would be royalty but here I'm just a small town sheriff and you aren't even working as mayor anymore."

Regina scrunched her eyebrows at Emma's words. She'd been saving for Henry's college since she first adopted him but tuition prices were rising and with the missing year and Zelena her income had stalled over the past two years.

"It's not like I'll be giving him a briefcase full of cash," said Belle. She pulled a thin manila folder out of her purse. "I was able to go online and get the paperwork for a basic legal trust fund. You and Emma would be the executors of the fund until his 25th birthday then the rights would transfer over to him. Regina since you're Henry's legal guardian I would put you in charge of maintaining all of Rumple's rental properties. It's not much work so I figured you could handle it. I just need both your signatures and it'll be binding."

Regina thought over what Belle's offer. The thought of taking anything from Rumpelstiltskin still made her skin crawl but this could be good for Henry. "I suppose that with the terms you've set I could be okay with this arrangement. But Belle are you sure this is what you want to do?"

Belle nodded her head while handing them the pens. "Yes. I want nothing more from him."

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><p>Later that night Belle decided one the few free nights she had to catch up on Harry Potter in Regina's library. Henry had recommended the magical series and Belle was quite enjoying the young wizard's journey. Even though everything with Rumpelstiltskin was settled she still lived in Regina's mansion. Storybrooke real estate was scarce and she really enjoyed staying with Regina and Henry. They'd truly become her family.<p>

"Oooh Goblet of Fire! That's my favorite one!" said Henry smiling as he walked into the library.

"I'm really loving it," said Belle looking up from the pages. "He just got his name pulled from the fire so things are starting to get interesting."

"Well I promise not to spoil anything for you," said Henry taking a seat next to her. "So I talked to my moms today and apparently thanks to you I'm going to be a very rich man on my 25th birthday."

Belle closed her book with a sigh. "So they told you huh?"

"Yeah they did," said Henry nodding his head. "So are you sure you want to give up everything?"

Belle nodded her head. "Yes I'm sure. Henry I have spent a lot of time mourning what happened with your grandfather. Now not having to worry about money would be nice but I'd never be able to get past him while I'm still living off what he left behind. The money's better off in your hands. I know you'll do good with it and it's time for me to start moving on."

"Okay," said Henry shrugging his shoulders as he stood up. "I just wanted to make sure before I started picking out colors for fleet of Ferraris. I'm thinking red with a few yellows mixed in to keep things lively."

Belle chuckled at Henry's joke. He never failed in making her smile.

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><p>After his conversation with Belle Henry went straight up to his room and called Grace.<p>

"Hey Henry!" she said answering her cell phone.

"Hi Grace," he said with a smile. "I think it's finally time to take Operation Beautiful Hatter into action."

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><p><strong>So Operation Beautiful Hatter will be put into action in the next chapter. It'll be full of scheming with our favorite young couple Henry and Grace. <strong>

**What did you think about Belle's decision? Let me know. Please Review and Follow.**


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